Lamentations 2:1-9

1The Lord was very angry. He wanted Zion's people to be ashamed. Zion was the most beautiful city in Israel. But he has put it down to the ground from its high place. Zion was like a place where he had rested his feet. Now that he is angry, he has forgotten about that.

2The Lord has destroyed all the houses where Jacob's people lived. He decided that he must punish them. Because he is angry, he has destroyed all Judah's strong towns. Yes, he has destroyed all the buildings, and he has killed the rulers and all the people.

3Yes, because he is very angry, he has destroyed Israel's whole army. He did not help them when they were fighting the enemy. He was like a big hot fire that burned Jacob's people from all sides.

4He prepared his bow and his arrows, like an enemy ready to kill people. Like an enemy, he has killed all our strong men that once we were proud of. He has shown how angry he was. He has sent a fire to destroy all Zion's houses.

5The Lord has become like an enemy. He has destroyed Israel and all the beautiful houses there. He has destroyed all the strong towns that had walls. He has caused Judah's people to weep. They are very sad.

6He has knocked down his own holy house as easily as someone can knock down a hut in a garden. He has destroyed this place where people once met him. The Lord has caused Zion's people to forget the special events and the Sabbath days in his holy house. He was very angry. So he thought that our king and our priests were not important. He refused to help them.

7His holy house and his altar there no longer give pleasure to the Lord. He has given Zion's most beautiful houses to the enemy. They shout in the holy house of the Lord as people shout on a special holy day.

8The Lord decided to destroy the strong walls of Zion. He carefully broke away each stone. It causes us to weep when we look at those walls. He destroyed them all. He destroyed the inside walls and he destroyed the strong outside walls.

9Zion's gates fell down on the ground. He destroyed them and he has broken them in pieces. The enemies have taken away our king and his sons to a foreign country. The people no longer understand God's Law. The Lord does not give messages to his prophets any more.