Study Desk

"You called as on the day of an appointed feast My terrors on every side; And there was no one who survived or escaped On the day of the LORD'S anger. As for those whom I brought forth healthy and whom I raised, My enemy annihilated them."

Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer.

He bent His bow And took aim at me as a target for the arrow.

The LORD'S acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail.

"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I wait for Him."

It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD.

It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.

For the Lord will not reject forever,

For if He causes grief, Then He will have compassion In proportion to His abundant mercy.

For He does not afflict willingly Or grieve the sons of mankind.

You have heard my voice, "Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief, From my cry for help."

The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.

For the wrongdoing of the daughter of my people Is greater than the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown as in a moment, And no hands were turned toward her.

Better off are those killed by the sword Than those killed by hunger; For they waste away, stricken By the lack of the produce of the field.

The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Due to the destruction of the daughter of my people.

"Keep away! Unclean!" they cried out of themselves. "Keep away, keep away, do not touch!" For they distanced themselves as well as wandered; People among the nations said, "They shall not continue to reside with us."

Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; At our observation point we have watched For a nation that could not save.

They hunted our steps So that we could not walk in our streets; Our end drew near, Our days were finished For our end had come.

Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They chased us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.

We have to pay for our drinking water, Our wood comes to us at a price.