אֵיכָה - Lamentations and Vav Hahefuch
A few days ago was 9th
of Av, the traditional day of mourning for the destruction of King Solomon’s
Temple in 586 BCE and the destruction of the Second, rebuilt temple in 70 C.E.. We, like Jews around the world, sat low and
read aloud אֵיכָה – Lamentations by the
prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah witnessed the first destruction and in this great elegy shared his
personal pain and the distress of the entire Jewish people.
And
while אֵיכָה is read aloud: slowly and to a special, mournful
tune -- so all present can feel the pain
and suffering in the words -- little attention is paid to its sporadic use of the
Divine vav hahefuch.
As
I have argued in previous blogs, this time-shifting special
verb form is the hallmark of God in the Chumash and any
time it appears elsewhere it needs to be examined and
explained.
verb form is the hallmark of God in the Chumash and any
time it appears elsewhere it needs to be examined and
explained.
I
have done so for some of the Psalms before and here examine its usage in אֵיכָה.
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אֵיכָה – its structure and messages
The scroll has long
been divided into chapters following
Jeremiah’s own opening cues, and Jeremiah switches the
speaker’s voice between an almost abstract observer to
Jerusalem herself and then, in ch. 3, a male voice cited as
"I" , and thereafter the collective ‘We’ which appears briefly
in ch. 3 and ch. 4 and tdominates he final ch. 5.
Jeremiah’s own opening cues, and Jeremiah switches the
speaker’s voice between an almost abstract observer to
Jerusalem herself and then, in ch. 3, a male voice cited as
"I" , and thereafter the collective ‘We’ which appears briefly
in ch. 3 and ch. 4 and tdominates he final ch. 5.
While our Rabbi’s
have long stressed the Temple and
religious aspect of the destruction, Jeremiah sees it in a
broader and more devastating context.
religious aspect of the destruction, Jeremiah sees it in a
broader and more devastating context.
The Temple’s loss and end to traditional sacrifice worship is
not his focus and is only mentioned in Ch. 1 verse 10 and
Ch.2 verses 6-7.
Rather, אֵיכָה focuses on the mass
killings, enslavement and
expulsion of the people of Jerusalem and those of the rest
of the land into Babylonian exile; and the abandonment and
destruction of Jerusalem’s great palaces and magnificent
structures.
expulsion of the people of Jerusalem and those of the rest
of the land into Babylonian exile; and the abandonment and
destruction of Jerusalem’s great palaces and magnificent
structures.
Jeremiah makes clear
throughout that the calamity was due
to Sin and Denial of God, and ends with the hope that
someday, in light of all the suffering the Jewish people have
endured and continue to endure, God will punish their
oppressors, forgive His people, and return them to their land
and rebuild the magnificence of Jerusalem.
to Sin and Denial of God, and ends with the hope that
someday, in light of all the suffering the Jewish people have
endured and continue to endure, God will punish their
oppressors, forgive His people, and return them to their land
and rebuild the magnificence of Jerusalem.
As Jeremiah states
in the second last verse:
כא הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ
יְהוָה אֵלֶיךָ ונשוב (וְנָשׁוּבָה), חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ
כְּקֶדֶם.
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21 Turn Thou us unto Thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our
days as of old.
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Vav
Hahefuch aspect
If a vav (
ו)prefixes a future verb, it can be either the conjunction ‘and’
followed by a future tense or it can be a vav hahefuch ‘time-shifter’ so the
verb is understood as past tense.
To tell them apart,
one must rely on the context, and the fact
that a vav hahefuch verb is always the first word of the
sentence or clause – which is not normal Hebrew order.
that a vav hahefuch verb is always the first word of the
sentence or clause – which is not normal Hebrew order.
In the cases of Psalm
18 which in an earlier version is 2
]Samuel 22 and Psalm 29, I have argued that many of the
verbs translated as vav hahefuch past tense are, in fact,
simply “and + future tense”, something that the ancient
Latin Vulgate often got correct unlike Jewish translators who
make everything simply past.
]Samuel 22 and Psalm 29, I have argued that many of the
verbs translated as vav hahefuch past tense are, in fact,
simply “and + future tense”, something that the ancient
Latin Vulgate often got correct unlike Jewish translators who
make everything simply past.
As for אֵיכָה , the possible
instances of vav hahefuch are
relatively few.
relatively few.
Ch. 1
In the 22 verses of Chapter
1, only 4 times does Jeremiah introduce a vav ( ו)prefixed future verb.
There
is little doubt all 4 instances are true vav hahefuch
using future for past based on context.
using future for past based on context.
And
there is an internal pattern as the two vav hahefuch
verbs of verse 6 deal with the action of ‘going forth’ or
‘leaving’, and, similarly, the two vav hahefuch verbs in verses
9 and 13 are from the root meaning to ‘go down’.
verbs of verse 6 deal with the action of ‘going forth’ or
‘leaving’, and, similarly, the two vav hahefuch verbs in verses
9 and 13 are from the root meaning to ‘go down’.
So
how this should be interpreted?
As Lamentations recounts
one continuous Divine act of
punishment and uses normal verb forms in the vast majority
of verbs, I suggest that Jeremiah here, and instances below,
is using vav hahefuch for extra emphasis, as if writing in
BOLD or speaking with a suddenly raised voice: to
accentuate the intensity of punishment which he saw in these
specific verbs and Divine actions.
punishment and uses normal verb forms in the vast majority
of verbs, I suggest that Jeremiah here, and instances below,
is using vav hahefuch for extra emphasis, as if writing in
BOLD or speaking with a suddenly raised voice: to
accentuate the intensity of punishment which he saw in these
specific verbs and Divine actions.
To be
in pain is one thing; to be in Divine (vav hahefuch) pain is another.
ו וַיֵּצֵא מן בת-
(מִבַּת-) צִיּוֹן, כָּל-הֲדָרָהּ; הָיוּ שָׂרֶיהָ, כְּאַיָּלִים לֹא-מָצְאוּ
מִרְעֶה, וַיֵּלְכוּ
בְלֹא-כֹחַ, לִפְנֵי רוֹדֵף. {ס}
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6 And gone
is from the daughter of Zion all her splendour; her princes are become like
harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the
pursuer. {S}
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ט טֻמְאָתָהּ
בְּשׁוּלֶיהָ, לֹא זָכְרָה אַחֲרִיתָהּ, וַתֵּרֶד פְּלָאִים, אֵין מְנַחֵם לָהּ; רְאֵה
יְהוָה אֶת-עָנְיִי, כִּי הִגְדִּיל אוֹיֵב. {ס}
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9 Her
filthiness was in her skirts, she was not mindful of her end; therefore is
she come down wonderfully, she hath no comforter. 'Behold, O LORD, my
affliction, for the enemy hath magnified himself.' {S}
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יג מִמָּרוֹם
שָׁלַח-אֵשׁ בְּעַצְמֹתַי, וַיִּרְדֶּנָּה;
פָּרַשׂ רֶשֶׁת לְרַגְלַי, הֱשִׁיבַנִי אָחוֹר--נְתָנַנִי שֹׁמֵמָה,
כָּל-הַיּוֹם דָּוָה. {ס}
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13 From on
high hath He sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them; He hath
spread a net for my feet, He hath turned me back; He hath made me desolate
and faint all the day. {S}
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Ch. 2
Ch
2 also has 22 verses and has 8 possible vav hahefuch
verbs. Based on context and adjoining simple past tense
verbs, the vav hahefuch past tense intention is obvious.
verbs. Based on context and adjoining simple past tense
verbs, the vav hahefuch past tense intention is obvious.
Again,
the limited inclusion of vav hahefuch verb forms, the
Divine verb form, must here as well have, in the eyes of
Jeremiah, shown special and more intense Divine actions.
Divine verb form, must here as well have, in the eyes of
Jeremiah, shown special and more intense Divine actions.
ה הָיָה
אֲדֹנָי כְּאוֹיֵב, בִּלַּע יִשְׂרָאֵל--בִּלַּע כָּל-אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ, שִׁחֵת
מִבְצָרָיו; וַיֶּרֶב,
בְּבַת-יְהוּדָה, תַּאֲנִיָּה, וַאֲנִיָּה. {ס}
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5 The Lord
is become as an enemy, He hath swallowed up Israel; He hath swallowed up all
her palaces, He hath destroyed his strongholds; and He hath multiplied in the
daughter of Judah mourning and moaning. {S}
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ו וַיַּחְמֹס כַּגַּן
שֻׂכּוֹ, שִׁחֵת מֹעֲדוֹ; שִׁכַּח יְ
הוָה בְּצִיּוֹן
מוֹעֵד וְשַׁבָּת, וַיִּנְאַץ
בְּזַעַם-אַפּוֹ מֶלֶךְ וְכֹהֵן. {ס}
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6 And He
hath stripped His tabernacle, as if it were a garden, He hath destroyed His
place of assembly; the LORD hath caused to be forgotten in Zion appointed
season and sabbath, and hath rejected in the indignation of His anger the
king and the priest. {S}
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ח חָשַׁב
יְהוָה לְהַשְׁחִית, חוֹמַת בַּת-צִיּוֹן--נָטָה קָו, לֹא-הֵשִׁיב יָדוֹ
מִבַּלֵּעַ; וַיַּאֲבֶל-חֵל
וְחוֹמָה, יַחְדָּו אֻמְלָלוּ. {ס}
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8 The LORD
hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; He hath stretched
out the line, He hath not withdrawn His hand from destroying; but He hath
made the rampart and wall to mourn, they languish together. {S}
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יד נְבִיאַיִךְ,
חָזוּ לָךְ שָׁוְא וְתָפֵל, וְלֹא-גִלּוּ עַל-עֲוֹנֵךְ, לְהָשִׁיב
שביתך (שְׁבוּתֵךְ); וַיֶּחֱזוּ
לָךְ, מַשְׂאוֹת שָׁוְא וּמַדּוּחִים. {ס}
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14 Thy
prophets have seen visions for thee of vanity and delusion; and they have not
uncovered thine iniquity, to bring back thy captivity; but have prophesied
for thee burdens of vanity and seduction. {S}
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טו סָפְקוּ
עָלַיִךְ כַּפַּיִם, כָּל-עֹבְרֵי דֶרֶךְ--שָׁרְקוּ וַיָּנִעוּ רֹאשָׁם, עַל-בַּת
יְרוּשָׁלִָם: הֲזֹאת הָעִיר, שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ כְּלִילַת יֹפִי--מָשׂוֹשׂ,
לְכָל-הָאָרֶץ. {ס}
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15 All that
pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the
daughter of Jerusalem: 'Is this the city that men called the perfection of
beauty, the joy of the whole earth?' {S}
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טז פָּצוּ
עָלַיִךְ פִּיהֶם, כָּל-אֹיְבַיִךְ--שָׁרְקוּ וַיַּחַרְקוּ-שֵׁן, אָמְרוּ בִּלָּעְנוּ; אַךְ זֶה
הַיּוֹם שֶׁקִּוִּינֻהוּ, מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ. {ס}
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16 All thine
enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; they hiss and gnash the
teeth; they say: 'We have swallowed her up; certainly this is the day that we
looked for; we have found, we have seen it.' {S}
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יז עָשָׂה
יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר זָמָם, בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מִימֵי-קֶדֶם--הָרַס,
וְלֹא חָמָל; וַיְשַׂמַּח
עָלַיִךְ אוֹיֵב, הֵרִים קֶרֶן צָרָיִךְ. {ס}
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17 The LORD
hath done that which He devised; He hath performed His word that He commanded
in the days of old; He hath thrown down unsparingly; and He hath caused the
enemy to rejoice over thee, He hath exalted the horn of thine adversaries. {S}
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Ch 3.
There
are 66 verses and only 5 possible vav
hahefuch verbs. They
are past tense in meaning and, again, must be read and understood as indicating
special Divine forcefulness.
א אֲנִי
הַגֶּבֶר רָאָה עֳנִי, בְּשֵׁבֶט עֶבְרָתוֹ.
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1 I am the
man that hath seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
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ב אוֹתִי
נָהַג וַיֹּלַךְ,
חֹשֶׁךְ וְלֹא-אוֹר.
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2 He hath
led me and caused me to walk in darkness and not in light.
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יב דָּרַךְ
קַשְׁתּוֹ וַיַּצִּיבֵנִי,
כַּמַּטָּרָא לַחֵץ. {ס}
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12 He hath
bent His bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. {S}
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יג הֵבִיא,
בְּכִלְיֹתָי, בְּנֵי, אַשְׁפָּתוֹ.
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13 He hath
caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my reins.
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יד הָיִיתִי
שְּׂחֹק לְכָל-עַמִּי, נְגִינָתָם כָּל-הַיּוֹם.
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14 I am
become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.
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טו הִשְׂבִּיעַנִי
בַמְּרוֹרִים, הִרְוַנִי לַעֲנָה. {ס}
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15 He hath
filled me with bitterness, He hath sated me with wormwood. {S}
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טז וַיַּגְרֵס בֶּחָצָץ
שִׁנָּי, הִכְפִּישַׁנִי בָּאֵפֶר.
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16 He hath
also broken my teeth with gravel stones, He hath made me to wallow in ashes.
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יז וַתִּזְנַח מִשָּׁלוֹם
נַפְשִׁי, נָשִׁיתִי טוֹבָה.
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17 And my
soul is removed far off from peace, I forgot prosperity.
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יח וָאֹמַר
אָבַד נִצְחִי, וְתוֹחַלְתִּי מֵיְהוָה. {ס}
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18 And I
said: 'My strength is perished, and mine expectation from the LORD.' {S}
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לג כִּי
לֹא עִנָּה מִלִּבּוֹ,
וַיַּגֶּה בְּנֵי-אִישׁ. {ס}
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33 For He
doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. {S}
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ו וַיִּגְדַּל עֲוֹן בַּת-עַמִּי,
מֵחַטַּאת
סְדֹם: הַהֲפוּכָה כְמוֹ-רָגַע, וְלֹא-חָלוּ בָהּ יָדָיִם. {ס}
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6 For the
iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, that
was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands fell upon her. {S}
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יא כִּלָּה
יְהוָה אֶת-חֲמָתוֹ, שָׁפַךְ חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ; וַיַּצֶּת-אֵשׁ בְּצִיּוֹן, וַתֹּאכַל
יְסֹדֹתֶיהָ. {ס}
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11 The LORD
hath accomplished His fury, He hath poured out His fierce anger; and He hath
kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the foundations thereof. {S}
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Ch. 5
Ch
5, the final chapter, is again 22 verses but has NO vav
hahefuch instances at all.
hahefuch instances at all.
There
is one future verb with a vav (ו) prefix but every translator sees it correctly as future.
כא הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ
יְהוָה אֵלֶיךָ ונשוב
(וְנָשׁוּבָה), חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם.
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21 Turn Thou
us unto Thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
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So
what is going on here?
Ch. 5, while extensively repeating the theme of punishment
and suffering, adds a twist: that ‘we’ hope for forgiveness and
redemption – as quoted in the above noted second last
verse.
To
emphasize and accentuate God’s wrath here -- by using
vav hahefuch -- would not fit the poem and prophet’s goal:
to beseech God for immediate redemption; to restore the
relationship and bond of old between God and his chosen
People and His Land and His City.
vav hahefuch -- would not fit the poem and prophet’s goal:
to beseech God for immediate redemption; to restore the
relationship and bond of old between God and his chosen
People and His Land and His City.
Conclusion
As I have argued elsewhere regarding the Psalms, the sudden,
rare insertion of vav hahefuch, the
Divine verb form, marks the pious belief of the writer that the specific
events in question were special acts of God’s ‘invisible hand’.
As
all of the
events and experiences in אֵיכָה would certainly have been seen, and
are explicated so stated by the prophet Jeremiah to be
God’s punishment and one continuous 'act of God’, another ‘understanding’ or
explanation is needed
here.
If
regular verb forms are used when God clearly is
intervening, then the escalation to the Divine vav hahefuch
must be seen as highlighting more powerful, more forceful
and more wrathful actions – as witnessed by Jeremiah.
intervening, then the escalation to the Divine vav hahefuch
must be seen as highlighting more powerful, more forceful
and more wrathful actions – as witnessed by Jeremiah.
Only once
is vav hahefuch used to describe the Jewish People or Jerusalem, in the instance
of וַיִּגְדַּל. All other vav
hahefuch verbs refer to God’s wrath and power of destruction.
Not
all pain and suffering are equal and those that are
greater need to be acknowledged and highlighted.
greater need to be acknowledged and highlighted.
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In
closing, I again suggest that all instances of vav hahefuch
must be highlighted or otherwise marked in siddurs and Bible
texts so those reading in English or other non-Hebrew
language, and even those who can pronounce Hebrew but
are unfamiliar with grammar and vav hahefuch usage, are
aware of the special use and presence of the Divine vav
hahefuch and its unique connotations.
must be highlighted or otherwise marked in siddurs and Bible
texts so those reading in English or other non-Hebrew
language, and even those who can pronounce Hebrew but
are unfamiliar with grammar and vav hahefuch usage, are
aware of the special use and presence of the Divine vav
hahefuch and its unique connotations.
Lamentations Chapter 1 אֵיכָה
1 How doth
the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow!
She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how
is she become tributary! {S}
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2 She
weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; she hath none to
comfort her among all her lovers; all her friends have dealt treacherously
with her, they are become her enemies. {S}
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3 Judah is
gone into exile because of affliction, and because of great servitude; she
dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest; all her pursuers overtook
her within the straits. {S}
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4 The ways
of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; all her gates are
desolate, her priests sigh; her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in
bitterness. {S}
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5 Her
adversaries are become the head, her enemies are at ease; for the LORD hath
afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her young children are
gone into captivity before the adversary. {S}
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6 And gone
is from the daughter of Zion all her splendour; her princes are become like
harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the
pursuer. {S}
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7 Jerusalem
remembereth in the days of her affliction and of her anguish all her
treasures that she had from the days of old; now that her people fall by the
hand of the adversary, and none doth help her, the adversaries have seen her,
they have mocked at her desolations. {S}
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8 Jerusalem
hath grievously sinned, therefore she is become as one unclean; all that
honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness; she herself
also sigheth, and turneth backward. {S}
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9 Her
filthiness was in her skirts, she was not mindful of her end; therefore is
she come down wonderfully, she hath no comforter. 'Behold, O LORD, my
affliction, for the enemy hath magnified himself.' {S}
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10 The
adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her treasures; for she hath seen
that the heathen are entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom Thou didst
command that they should not enter into Thy congregation. {S}
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11 All her
people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for food
to refresh the soul. 'See, O LORD, and behold, how abject I am become.' {S}
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12 'Let it
not come unto you, all ye that pass by! Behold, and see if there be any pain
like unto my pain, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted
me in the day of His fierce anger. {S}
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13 From on
high hath He sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them; He hath
spread a net for my feet, He hath turned me back; He hath made me desolate
and faint all the day. {S}
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14 The yoke
of my transgressions is impressed by His hand; they are knit together, they
are come up upon my neck; He hath made my strength to fail; the Lord hath
delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand. {S}
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15 The Lord
hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called a
solemn assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord hath trodden as in
a winepress the virgin the daughter of Judah.' {S}
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16 'For
these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; because the
comforter is far from me, even he that should refresh my soul; my children
are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed.' {S}
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17 Zion
spreadeth forth her hands; there is none to comfort her; the LORD hath
commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his
adversaries; Jerusalem is among them as one unclean. {S}
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18 'The LORD
is righteous; for I have rebelled against His word; hear, I pray you, all ye
peoples, and behold my pain: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
{S}
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19 I
called for my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and mine elders perished in the city, while they sought them
food to refresh their souls. {S}
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20 Behold, O
LORD, for I am in distress, mine inwards burn; my heart is turned within me,
for I have grievously rebelled. Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is
the like of death. {S}
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21 They have
heard that I sigh, there is none to comfort me; all mine enemies have heard
of my trouble, and are glad, for Thou hast done it; Thou wilt bring the day
that Thou hast proclaimed, and they shall be like unto me. {S}
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22 Let all
their wickedness come before Thee; and do unto them, as Thou hast done unto
me for all my transgressions; for my sighs are many and my heart is faint.' {P}
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Lamentations Chapter 2 אֵיכָה
א אֵיכָה
יָעִיב בְּאַפּוֹ אֲדֹנָי, אֶת-בַּת-צִיּוֹן--הִשְׁלִיךְ מִשָּׁמַיִם אֶרֶץ,
תִּפְאֶרֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְלֹא-זָכַר הֲדֹם-רַגְלָיו, בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ. {ס}
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1 How hath
the Lord covered with a cloud the daughter of Zion in His anger! He hath cast
down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and hath not remembered
His footstool in the day of His anger. {S}
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ב בִּלַּע
אֲדֹנָי לא (וְלֹא) חָמַל, אֵת כָּל-נְאוֹת יַעֲקֹב--הָרַס בְּעֶבְרָתוֹ
מִבְצְרֵי בַת-יְהוּדָה, הִגִּיעַ לָאָרֶץ; חִלֵּל מַמְלָכָה, וְשָׂרֶיהָ.
{ס}
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2 The Lord
hath swallowed up unsparingly all the habitations of Jacob; He hath thrown
down in His wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; He hath brought
them down to the ground; He hath profaned the kingdom and the princes
thereof. {S}
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ג גָּדַע
בָּחֳרִי-אַף, כֹּל קֶרֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל--הֵשִׁיב אָחוֹר יְמִינוֹ, מִפְּנֵי
אוֹיֵב; וַיִּבְעַר בְּיַעֲקֹב כְּאֵשׁ לֶהָבָה, אָכְלָה סָבִיב. {ס}
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3 He hath
cut off in fierce anger all the horn of Israel; He hath drawn back His right
hand from before the enemy; and He hath burned in Jacob like a flaming fire,
which devoureth round about. {S}
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ד דָּרַךְ
קַשְׁתּוֹ כְּאוֹיֵב, נִצָּב יְמִינוֹ כְּצָר, וַיַּהֲרֹג, כֹּל
מַחֲמַדֵּי-עָיִן; בְּאֹהֶל, בַּת-צִיּוֹן, שָׁפַךְ כָּאֵשׁ, חֲמָתוֹ. {ס}
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4 He hath
bent His bow like an enemy, standing with His right hand as an adversary, and
hath slain all that were pleasant to the eye; in the tent of the daughter of
Zion He hath poured out His fury like fire. {S}
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ה הָיָה
אֲדֹנָי כְּאוֹיֵב, בִּלַּע יִשְׂרָאֵל--בִּלַּע כָּל-אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ, שִׁחֵת
מִבְצָרָיו; וַיֶּרֶב,
בְּבַת-יְהוּדָה, תַּאֲנִיָּה, וַאֲנִיָּה. {ס}
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5 The Lord
is become as an enemy, He hath swallowed up Israel; He hath swallowed up all
her palaces, He hath destroyed his strongholds; and He hath multiplied in the
daughter of Judah mourning and moaning. {S}
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ו וַיַּחְמֹס כַּגַּן
שֻׂכּוֹ, שִׁחֵת מֹעֲדוֹ; שִׁכַּח יְהוָה בְּצִיּוֹן מוֹעֵד וְשַׁבָּת, וַיִּנְאַץ
בְּזַעַם-אַפּוֹ מֶלֶךְ וְכֹהֵן. {ס}
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6 And He
hath stripped His tabernacle, as if it were a garden, He hath destroyed His
place of assembly; the LORD hath caused to be forgotten in Zion appointed
season and sabbath, and hath rejected in the indignation of His anger the
king and the priest. {S}
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ז זָנַח
אֲדֹנָי מִזְבְּחוֹ, נִאֵר מִקְדָּשׁוֹ--הִסְגִּיר בְּיַד-אוֹיֵב, חוֹמֹת
אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ; קוֹל נָתְנוּ בְּבֵית-יְהוָה, כְּיוֹם מוֹעֵד. {ס}
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7 The Lord
hath cast off His altar, He hath abhorred His sanctuary, He hath given up
into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise
in the house of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn assembly. {S}
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ח חָשַׁב
יְהוָה לְהַשְׁחִית, חוֹמַת בַּת-צִיּוֹן--נָטָה קָו, לֹא-הֵשִׁיב יָדוֹ
מִבַּלֵּעַ; וַיַּאֲבֶל-חֵל
וְחוֹמָה, יַחְדָּו אֻמְלָלוּ. {ס}
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8 The LORD
hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; He hath stretched
out the line, He hath not withdrawn His hand from destroying; but He hath
made the rampart and wall to mourn, they languish together. {S}
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ט טָבְעוּ בָאָרֶץ
שְׁעָרֶיהָ, אִבַּד וְשִׁבַּר בְּרִיחֶיהָ; מַלְכָּהּ וְשָׂרֶיהָ בַגּוֹיִם,
אֵין תּוֹרָה--גַּם-נְבִיאֶיהָ, לֹא-מָצְאוּ חָזוֹן מֵיְהוָה. {ס}
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9 Her gates
are sunk into the ground; He hath destroyed and broken her bars; her king and
her princes are among the nations, instruction is no more; yea, her prophets
find no vision from the LORD. {S}
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י יֵשְׁבוּ
לָאָרֶץ יִדְּמוּ, זִקְנֵי בַת-צִיּוֹן--הֶעֱלוּ עָפָר עַל-רֹאשָׁם, חָגְרוּ
שַׂקִּים; הוֹרִידוּ לָאָרֶץ רֹאשָׁן, בְּתוּלֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם. {ס}
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10 They sit
upon the ground, and keep silence, the elders of the daughter of Zion; they
have cast up dust upon their heads, they have girded themselves with
sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground. {S}
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יא כָּלוּ
בַדְּמָעוֹת עֵינַי, חֳמַרְמְרוּ מֵעַי--נִשְׁפַּךְ לָאָרֶץ כְּבֵדִי,
עַל-שֶׁבֶר בַּת-עַמִּי: בֵּעָטֵף עוֹלֵל וְיוֹנֵק, בִּרְחֹבוֹת
קִרְיָה. {ס}
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11 Mine eyes
do fail with tears, mine inwards burn, my liver is poured upon the earth, for
the breach of the daughter of my people; because the young children and the
sucklings swoon in the broad places of the city. {S}
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יב לְאִמֹּתָם,
יֹאמְרוּ, אַיֵּה, דָּגָן וָיָיִן: בְּהִתְעַטְּפָם כֶּחָלָל, בִּרְחֹבוֹת
עִיר--בְּהִשְׁתַּפֵּךְ נַפְשָׁם, אֶל-חֵיק אִמֹּתָם. {ס}
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12 They say
to their mothers: 'Where is corn and wine?' when they swoon as the wounded in
the broad places of the city, when their soul is poured out into their
mothers' bosom. {S}
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יג מָה-אֲעִידֵךְ
מָה אֲדַמֶּה-לָּךְ, הַבַּת יְרוּשָׁלִַם--מָה אַשְׁוֶה-לָּךְ וַאֲנַחֲמֵךְ,
בְּתוּלַת בַּת-צִיּוֹן: כִּי-גָדוֹל כַּיָּם שִׁבְרֵךְ, מִי
יִרְפָּא-לָךְ. {ס}
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13 What
shall I take to witness for thee? What shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem?
What shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of
Zion? For thy breach is great like the sea; who can heal thee? {S}
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יד נְבִיאַיִךְ,
חָזוּ לָךְ שָׁוְא וְתָפֵל, וְלֹא-גִלּוּ עַל-עֲוֹנֵךְ, לְהָשִׁיב
שביתך (שְׁבוּתֵךְ); וַיֶּחֱזוּ
לָךְ, מַשְׂאוֹת שָׁוְא וּמַדּוּחִים. {ס}
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14 Thy
prophets have seen visions for thee of vanity and delusion; and they have not
uncovered thine iniquity, to bring back thy captivity; but have prophesied
for thee burdens of vanity and seduction. {S}
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טו סָפְקוּ
עָלַיִךְ כַּפַּיִם, כָּל-עֹבְרֵי דֶרֶךְ--שָׁרְקוּ וַיָּנִעוּ רֹאשָׁם, עַל-בַּת
יְרוּשָׁלִָם: הֲזֹאת הָעִיר, שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ כְּלִילַת יֹפִי--מָשׂוֹשׂ,
לְכָל-הָאָרֶץ. {ס}
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15 All that
pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the
daughter of Jerusalem: 'Is this the city that men called the perfection of
beauty, the joy of the whole earth?' {S}
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טז פָּצוּ
עָלַיִךְ פִּיהֶם, כָּל-אֹיְבַיִךְ--שָׁרְקוּ וַיַּחַרְקוּ-שֵׁן, אָמְרוּ בִּלָּעְנוּ; אַךְ זֶה
הַיּוֹם שֶׁקִּוִּינֻהוּ, מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ. {ס}
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16 All thine
enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; they hiss and gnash the
teeth; they say: 'We have swallowed her up; certainly this is the day that we
looked for; we have found, we have seen it.' {S}
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יז עָשָׂה
יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר זָמָם, בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מִימֵי-קֶדֶם--הָרַס,
וְלֹא חָמָל; וַיְשַׂמַּח
עָלַיִךְ אוֹיֵב, הֵרִים קֶרֶן צָרָיִךְ. {ס}
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17 The LORD
hath done that which He devised; He hath performed His word that He commanded
in the days of old; He hath thrown down unsparingly; and He hath caused the
enemy to rejoice over thee, He hath exalted the horn of thine adversaries. {S}
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יח צָעַק
לִבָּם, אֶל-אֲדֹנָי; חוֹמַת בַּת-צִיּוֹן הוֹרִידִי כַנַּחַל דִּמְעָה, יוֹמָם
וָלַיְלָה--אַל-תִּתְּנִי פוּגַת לָךְ, אַל-תִּדֹּם בַּת-עֵינֵךְ. {ס}
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18 Their
heart cried unto the Lord: 'O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run
down like a river day and night; give thyself no respite; let not the apple
of thine eye cease. {S}
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יט קוּמִי
רֹנִּי בליל (בַלַּיְלָה), לְרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמֻרוֹת--שִׁפְכִי כַמַּיִם לִבֵּךְ,
נֹכַח פְּנֵי אֲדֹנָי; שְׂאִי אֵלָיו כַּפַּיִךְ, עַל-נֶפֶשׁ
עוֹלָלַיִךְ--הָעֲטוּפִים בְּרָעָב, בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל-חוּצוֹת. {ס}
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19 Arise,
cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out thy heart
like water before the face of the Lord; lift up thy hands toward Him for the
life of thy young children, that faint for hunger at the head of every
street.' {S}
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כ רְאֵה
יְהוָה וְהַבִּיטָה, לְמִי עוֹלַלְתָּ כֹּה: אִם-תֹּאכַלְנָה נָשִׁים
פִּרְיָם עֹלְלֵי טִפֻּחִים, אִם-יֵהָרֵג בְּמִקְדַּשׁ אֲדֹנָי כֹּהֵן
וְנָבִיא. {ס}
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20 'See, O
LORD, and consider, to whom Thou hast done thus! Shall the women eat their
fruit, the children that are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the
prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? {S}
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כא שָׁכְבוּ
לָאָרֶץ חוּצוֹת נַעַר וְזָקֵן, בְּתוּלֹתַי וּבַחוּרַי נָפְלוּ בֶחָרֶב;
הָרַגְתָּ בְּיוֹם אַפֶּךָ, טָבַחְתָּ לֹא חָמָלְתָּ. {ס}
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21 The youth
and the old man lie on the ground in the streets; my virgins and my young men
are fallen by the sword; Thou hast slain them in the day of Thine anger; Thou
hast slaughtered unsparingly. {S}
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כב תִּקְרָא
כְיוֹם מוֹעֵד מְגוּרַי מִסָּבִיב, וְלֹא הָיָה בְּיוֹם אַף-יְהוָה פָּלִיט
וְשָׂרִיד: אֲשֶׁר-טִפַּחְתִּי וְרִבִּיתִי, אֹיְבִי כִלָּם. {פ}
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22 Thou hast
called, as in the day of a solemn assembly, my terrors on every side, and
there was none in the day of the LORD'S anger that escaped or remained; those
that I have dandled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.' {P}
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Lamentations Chapter 3 אֵיכָה
Lamentations Chapter 4 אֵיכָה
Lamentations Chapter 5 אֵיכָה
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