Lamentations 2:13-14 Part 1 of 2

                                       LAMENTATIONS

 

                         The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

                                     His mercies never cease.

                                    Great is his faithfulness;

                            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                        Lamentations 3:22-23 

 

            I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 

        with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 

        with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

                                    🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

 

What can I say about you?

    Who has ever seen such sorrow?

O daughter of Jerusalem,

    to what can I compare your anguish?

O virgin daughter of Zion,

    how can I comfort you?

For your wound is as deep as the sea.

    Who can heal you?

Your prophets have said

    so many foolish things, false to the core.

They did not save you from exile

    by pointing out your sins.

Instead they painted false pictures,

    filling you with false hope.  

  

What can I say about you? Who has ever seen such sorrow? O daughter of Jerusalem, to what can I compare your anguish?

Lamentations 1:12

"Does this mean nothing to you, all you who pass by?

    Look around and see if there is any suffering like mine,

which the LORD brought on me

    when he erupted in fierce anger." 

 

O virgin daughter of Zion, how can I comfort you? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? 

Isaiah 1:6  

You are battered from head to foot--

    covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds--

    without any soothing ointments or bandages.  (see Isaiah 1:2-9)  

Jeremiah 14:17-18  

"Now, Jeremiah, say this to them: 

    "Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.

        I cannot stop weeping,

    for my virgin daughter--my precious people--

        has been struck down

        and lies mortally wounded.

    If I go out into the fields,

        I see bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy.

    If I walk the city streets,

        I see people who have died of starvation.

    The prophets and priests continue with their work,

        but they don't know what they're doing."  (see all Jeremiah 14)

Jeremiah 30:12-15  

This is what the LORD says:

"Your injury is incurable--

    a terrible wound.

There is no one to help you

    or to bind up your injury.

    No medicine can heal you.

All your lovers--your allies--have left you

    and do not care about you anymore.

I have wounded you cruelly,

    as though I were your enemy.

But your sins are many,

    and your guilt is great.

Why do you protest your punishment--

    this wound that has no cure?

I have had to punish you

    because your sins are many    

     and your guilt is great."

 

Your prophets have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not save you from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope.  

Ezekiel 22:28  

"And your prophets cover up for them by announcing false visions and making lying predictions. They say, 'My message is from the Sovereign LORD,' when the LORD hasn't spoken a single word to them."  (see Ezekiel 22:23-31)

Micah 3:11  

You rulers make decisions based on bribes;

    you priests teach God's laws only for a price;

You prophets won't prophesy unless you are paid.

    Yet all of you claim to depend on the LORD.

"No harm can come to us," you say,

    "for the LORD is here among us."  (see all Micah 3)

Jeremiah 2:8  

"The priests did not ask,

    'Where is the LORD?"

Those who taught my word ignored me,

    the rulers turned against me,

and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,

    wasting their time on worthless idols."  (see Jeremiah 2:1-13)

Jeremiah 8:11  

"They offer superficial treatments

    for my people's mortal wound.

They give assurances of peace

    when there is no peace."  (see Jeremiah 8:4-17) 

Jeremiah 20:6  

" 'As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you prophesied that everything would be all right.' "  (see Jeremiah 20:1-8) 

 

(parentheses are mine)

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Limited to 15 verses per post.

       

Lamentations 2:11-12

                                       LAMENTATIONS

 

                         The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

                                     His mercies never cease.

                                    Great is his faithfulness;

                            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                        Lamentations 3:22-23 

 

            I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 

        with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 

        with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

                                    🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

 

I have cried until tears no longer come;

    my heart is broken.

My spirit is poured out in agony

    as I see the desperate plight of my people.

Little children and tiny babies

    are fainting and dying in the streets.

They cry out to their mothers,

    "We need food and drink!"

Their lives ebb away in the streets

    like the life of a warrior wounded in battle.

They gasp for life

    as they collapse in their mothers' arms. 

  

I have cried until tears no longer come; my heart is broken. 

Lamentations 1:16

"For all these things I weep,

    tears flow down my cheeks.

No one is here to comfort me;

    any who might encourage me are far away.

My children have no future,

    for the enemy has conquered us."  

Lamentations 1:20  

"LORD, see my anguish!

    My heart is broken

and my soul despairs,

    for I have rebelled against you. 

In the street the sword kills,

    and at home there is only death."  (see all Lamentations 1)

Lamentations 3:48-51 

Tears stream from my eyes

    because of the destruction of my people!

My tears flow endlessly;

    they will not stop

until the LORD looks down

    from heaven and sees.

My heart is breaking

    over the fate of all the women of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 30:27  

"My heart is troubled and restless.

    Days of suffering torment me."  (see all Job 30)

Psalm 119:82  

My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.

    When will you comfort me?  (see Psalm 119:81-88)

 

My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people. 

Jeremiah 4:19  

My heart, my heart--I writhe in pain!

    My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still.

For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets

    and the roar of their battle cries.  (see Jeremiah 4:19-22)

Psalm 22:14  

My life is poured out like water,

    and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart is like wax,

    melting within me.  (see all Psalm 22)

 

Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets. ... They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers' arms. 

Lamentations 2:19  

Rise during the night and cry out.

    Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord.

Lift up your hands to him in prayer,

    pleading for your children,

for in every street

    they are faint with hunger.

Lamentations 4:4  

The parched tongues of their little ones

    stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst.

The children cry for bread,

    but no one has any to give them.  (see Lamentations 4:1-4) 

 

(parentheses are mine)

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Limited to 15 verses per post.

      

Lamentations 2:10

                                       LAMENTATIONS

 

                         The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

                                     His mercies never cease.

                                    Great is his faithfulness;

                            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                        Lamentations 3:22-23 

 

            I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 

        with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 

        with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

                                    🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

 

The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem

    sit on the ground in silence.

They are clothed in burlap

    and throw dust on their heads.

The young women of Jerusalem

    hang their heads in shame.  

  

Lamentations 3:28-29

Let them sit alone in silence

    beneath the LORD's demands.

Let them lie face down in the dust,

    for there may be hope at last.  (see Lamentations 3:19-33)

 

Amos 8:3  

"In that day the singing in the temple will turn to wailing. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will be carried out of the city in silence. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"  (see all Amos 8)

 

Job 2:12-13  

When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.  (see all Job 2)

 

Joshua 7:6  

Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the LORD until evening.  (see all Joshua 7)

 

Isaiah 3:26  

The gates of Zion will weep and mourn.

    The city will be like a ravaged woman,

    huddled on the ground.  (see all Isaiah 3-5)

 

Jonah 3:6-9  

When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:

        "No one, not even the animals from your 

        herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything

        at all. People and animals alike must 

        wear garments of mourning, and everyone 

        must pray earnestly to God. They must turn 

        from their evil ways and stop all their 

        violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even 

        yet God will change his mind and hold 

        back his fierce anger from destroying us."  (see all Jonah 3)

 

Ezekiel 27:30-31  

"They cry aloud over you

    and weep bitterly.

They throw dust on their heads

    and roll in ashes.

They shave their heads in grief for you

    and dress themselves in burlap.

They weep for you with bitter anguish

    and deep mourning."  (see Ezekiel 27:26-36) 

 

(parentheses are mine)

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Limited to 15 verses per post.

     

Lamentations 2:9

                                        LAMENTATIONS

 

                         The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

                                     His mercies never cease.

                                    Great is his faithfulness;

                            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                        Lamentations 3:22-23 

 

            I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 

        with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 

        with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

                                    🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

 

Jerusalem's gates have sunk into the ground.

    He has smashed their locks and bars.

Her kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands;

    her law has ceased to exist.

Her prophets receive

    no more visions from the LORD. 

  

Hosea 11:6-7

"War will swirl through their cities;

    their enemies will crash through their gates.

They will destroy them,

    trapping them in their own evil plans.

For my people are determined to desert me.

They call me the Most High,

    but they don't truly honor me."  (see all Hosea 11)

 

Deuteronomy 28:36  

    "The LORD will exile you and your king to a nation unknown to you and your ancestors. There in exile you will worship gods of wood and stone! You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the LORD sends you."  (see Deuteronomy 28:13-68)

 

2 Kings 24:15  

    Nebuchadnezzar led King Jehoiachin away as a captive to Babylon, along with the queen mother, his wives and officials, and all Jerusalem's elite.  

(see 2 Kings 24:8-17)

 

Jeremiah 15:13  

" 'So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night--and I will grant you no favors!' "  (see all Jeremiah 16)

 

Hosea 3:4  

    This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols!  (see all Hosea 3)

 

Judges 17:6  

    In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.  (see all Judges 17)

 

2 Chronicles 15:3  

"For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them."  (see all 2 Chronicles 15)

 

1 Samuel 15:3 

    Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.  (see all 1 Samuel 15)

 

Psalm 74:9  

We no longer see your miraculous signs.

    All the prophets are gone,

    and no one can tell us when it will end.  (see all Psalm 74)

 

Jeremiah 14:14  

    Then the LORD said, "These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts."  

(see Jeremiah 14:11-18) 

 

Jeremiah 23:16  

This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says to his people:

    "Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you,

        filling you with futile hopes.

    They are making up everything they say.

        They do not speak for the LORD!"  (see Jeremiah 23:9-32)

 

Jeremiah 27:9-10  

    " 'Do not listen to your false prophets, fortune-tellers, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers who say, "The king of Babylon will not conquer you." They are all liars, and their lies will lead to your being driven out of your land. I will drive you out and send you far away to die.' "  

(see all Jeremiah 27) 

 

(parentheses are mine)

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Limited to 15 verses per post.

    

Lamentations 2:8

                                        LAMENTATIONS

 

                         The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

                                     His mercies never cease.

                                    Great is his faithfulness;

                            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                        Lamentations 3:22-23 

 

            I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 

        with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 

        with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

                                    🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

 

The LORD was determined

    to destroy the walls of beautiful Jerusalem.

He made careful plans for their destruction,

    then did what he had planned.

Therefore, the ramparts and walls

    have fallen down before him. 

  

2 Kings 21:10-15

    Then the LORD said through his servants the prophets: "King Manasseh of Judah has done many detestable things. He is even more wicked than the Amorites, who lived in this land before Israel. He has caused the people of Judah to sin with his idols. So this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror. I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria (see 2 Kings 18:9-12, Hosea 13:16) and the same measure I used for the family of Ahab (see 1 Kings 22:29-37). I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as one wipes a dish and turns it upside down. Then I will reject even the remnant of my own people who are left, and I will hand them over as plunder for their enemies. For they have done great evil in my sight and have angered me ever since their ancestors came out of Egypt."  (see all 2 Kings 21)

 

Amos 7:7-9  

Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight. and the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?"

    I answered, "A plumb line."

    And the Lord replied, "I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins. The pagan shrines of your ancestors will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end."

 

2 Kings 25:10  

Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side.  (see 2 Kings 25:8-21)

 

Nehemiah 1:1-4  

    These are the memoirs of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.

In the late autumn, in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' reign, I was at the fortress of Susa. Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem.

    They said to me, "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire."

    When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of Heaven.  (see all Nehemiah 1) 

 

(parentheses are mine)

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Limited to 15 verses per post.

    

Lamentations 2:7

                                        LAMENTATIONS

                         The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

                                     His mercies never cease.

                                    Great is his faithfulness;

                            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                        Lamentations 3:22-23 

 

            I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 

        with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 

        with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

                                    🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

 

The Lord has rejected his own altar;

    he despises his own sanctuary.

He has given Jerusalem's palaces

    to her enemies.

They shout in the LORD's Temple

    as though it were a day of celebration.

   

Ezekiel 7:20-26

"They were proud of their beautiful jewelry

    and used it to make detestable idols and vile images.

Therefore, I will make all their wealth

    disgusting to them.

I will give it as plunder to foreigners,

    to the most wicked of nations,

    and they will defile it.

I will turn my eyes from them

    as these robbers invade and defile my treasured land.

Prepare chains for my people,

    for the land is bloodied by terrible crimes.

    Jerusalem is filled with violence.

I will bring the most ruthless of nations

    to occupy their homes.

I will break down their proud fortresses

    and defile their sanctuaries.

Terror and trembling will overcome my people.

    They will look for peace but not find it.

Calamity will follow calamity;

    rumor will follow rumor.

They will look in vain

    for a vision from the prophets.

They will receive no teaching from the priests

    and no counsel from the leaders."  (see all Ezekiel 7)

 

Psalm 74:2-8  

Remember that we are the people you chose long ago,

    the tribe that you redeemed as your own special possession!

    And remember Jerusalem, your home here on earth.

Walk through the awful ruins of the city;

    see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.

There your enemies shouted their victorious battle cries;

    there they set up their battle standards.

They swung their axes

    like woodcutters in a forest.

With axes and picks,

    they smashed the carved paneling.

They burned your sanctuary to the ground. 

    They defiled the place that bears your name.

Then they thought, "Let's destroy everything!"

    So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.  

    (see all Psalm 74) 

 

(parentheses are mine)

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Limited to 15 verses per post.

      

Lamentations 2:5-6 Part 2 of 2

                                        LAMENTATIONS

                         The faithful love of the LORD never ends! 

                                     His mercies never cease.

                                    Great is his faithfulness;

                            his mercies begin afresh each morning.

                                        Lamentations 3:22-23 

 

            I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 

        with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 

        with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 

                                    🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

 

Yes, the Lord has vanquished Israel

    like an enemy.

He has destroyed her palaces

    and demolished her fortresses.

He has brought unending sorrow and tears

    upon beautiful Jerusalem.

He has broken down his Temple

    as though it was merely a garden shelter.

The LORD has blotted out all memory

    of the holy festivals and Sabbath days.

Kings and priests fall together

    before his fierce anger. 

  

He has broken down his Temple as though it was merely a garden shelter.

2 Chronicles 36:19

Then his army burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces and completely destroyed everything of value.  

(see 2 Chronicles 36:17-21)

 

The LORD has blotted out all memory of the holy festivals and Sabbath days. 

Psalm 74:7-8  

They burned your sanctuary to the ground.

    They defiled the place that bears your name.

Then they thought, "Let's destroy everything!"

    So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped. 

    (see all Psalm 74)

Jeremiah 52:13  

He burned down the Temple of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city.  

(see Jeremiah 52:12-30) 

Zephaniah 3:18  

"I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals,

    you will be disgraced no more."  (see all Zephaniah 3)

 

Kings and priests fall together before his fierce anger. 

Isaiah 43:28  

"That is why I have disgraced your priests;

    I have decreed complete destruction for Jacob

    and shame for Israel."  (see all Isaiah 43)

Jeremiah 7:4  

" 'But don't be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD's Temple is here. They chant, "The LORD's Temple is here! The LORD's Temple is here!" ' "  

Jeremiah 7:14  

" 'So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave you and your ancestors.' " (see all Jeremiah 7)

1 Kings 9:7  

"... then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations."  (see 1 Kings 9:1-9)

Ezekiel 34:20-21  

    So I said to them, "A message came to me from the LORD, and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind will be slaughtered by the sword."  (see all Ezekiel 24)

Lamentations 4:13  

Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets,

    and the sins of her priests,

who defiled the city

    by shedding innocent blood. 

Lamentations 4:16  

The LORD himself has scattered them,

    and he no longer helps them.

People show no respect for the priests

    and no longer honor their leaders.  (see Lamentations 4:13-16)

Lamentations 5:12  

Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs,

    and our elders are treated with contempt.  (see Lamentations 5:8-18)  

 

(parentheses are mine)

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Limited to 15 verses per post.