Lamentations 2:18

THE MESSAGE

Give out heart-cries to the Master, dear repentant Zion. Let the tears roll like a river, day and night, and keep at it—no time-outs. Keep those tears flowing!

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord.Wall of Daughter Zion,let your tears run down like a riverday and night.Give yourself no reliefand your eyes no rest.

Hebrew Names Version
Their heart cried to the Lord: wall of the daughter of Tziyon, let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no respite; don't let the apple of your eye cease.

King James Version
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 rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.

English Standard Version
Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite!

New American Standard Bible
Their heart cried out to the Lord: "You wall of the daughter of Zion, Let your tears stream down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief, Let your eyes have no rest.

New Century Version
The people cry out to the Lord. Wall of Jerusalem, let your tears flow like a river day and night. Do not stop or let your eyes rest.

Amplified Bible
Their hearts cried out to the Lord. "O wall of the Daughter of Zion, Let your tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief, Let your eyes have no rest.

World English Bible
Their heart cried to the Lord: wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no respite; don't let the apple of your eye cease.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Their heart cryed vnto the Lord, O wall of the daughter Zion, let teares runne downe like a riuer, day and night: take thee no rest, neither let the apple of thine eye cease.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Their heart cried out to the Lord, "O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let your tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief, Let your eyes have no rest.

Legacy Standard Bible
Their heart cried out to the Lord,"O wall of the daughter of Zion,Let your tears run down like a river day and night;Give yourself no relief;Let your eyes not be still.

Berean Standard Bible
The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest.

Contemporary English Version
Zion, deep in your heart you cried out to the Lord. Now let your tears overflow your walls day and night. Don't ever lose hope or let your tears stop.

Complete Jewish Bible
Their hearts cried out to Adonai, "Wall of the daughter of Tziyon! Let your tears stream down like a torrent, day and night! Give yourself no respite, give your eyes no rest!

Darby Translation
Their heart cried unto the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a torrent day and night: give thyself no respite; let not the apple of thine eye rest.

Easy-to-Read Version
Cry out with all your heart to the Lord! Jerusalem, let tears roll down your walls. Let your tears flow like a stream day and night. Don't stop crying or let your eyes dry.

George Lamsa Translation
The peoples heart cried to the LORD of the walls of the daughter of Zion; let your tears run down like a stream day and night: give yourself no rest; let not the apple of your eye cease from shedding tears.

Good News Translation
O Jerusalem, let your very walls cry out to the Lord! Let your tears flow like rivers night and day; Wear yourself out with weeping and grief

Lexham English Bible
Their heart cried to the Lord, "O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a river; day and night, do not give yourself relief, do not give your eyes rest.

Literal Translation
Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears go down like a torrent by day and by night; do not give relief to yourself; let not the daughter of your eye rest.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let thine hert crie vnto the LORDE, O thou cite of the doughter Sion: let thy teares rune downe like a ryuer daye & night: rest not, & let not the aple of thine eye leaue of.

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
Let your cry go up to the Lord: O wall of the daughter of Zion, let your weeping be flowing down like a stream day and night; give yourself no rest, let not your eyes keep back the drops of sorrow.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.

King James Version (1611)
Their heart cried vnto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let teares runne downe like a riuer, day and night: giue thy selfe no rest, let not the apple of thine eyes cease.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Their heart cryed vnto the Lorde, O thou citie of the daughter Sion: let thy teares runne downe like a riuer day and night, rest not, and let not the apple of thyne eye leaue of.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
TSADE. Their heart cried to the Lord, Ye walls of Sion, pour down tears like torrents day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eyes cease.

English Revised Version
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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sade. The herte of hem criede to the Lord, on the wallis of the douyter of Syon; leede thou forth teeris as a stronde, bi dai and niyt; yyue thou not reste to thee, nether the appil of thin iye be stille.

Update Bible Version
Their heart cried to the Lord: O walls of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no respite; don't let the apple of your eye cease.

Webster's Bible Translation
Their heart cried to the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thy eye cease.

New English Translation

צ (Tsade)

Cry out from your heart to the Lord, O wall of Daughter Zion! Make your tears flow like a river all day and all night long! Do not rest; do not let your tears stop!

New King James Version
Their heart cried out to the Lord, "O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Give your eyes no rest.

New Living Translation
Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of beautiful Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river day and night. Give yourselves no rest; give your eyes no relief.

New Life Bible
Let your heart cry out to the Lord. O wall of the people of Zion, let your tears flow down like a river day and night. Give yourself no rest. Do not let your eyes stop crying.

New Revised Standard
Cry aloud to the Lord! O wall of daughter Zion! Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite!

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Their heart, hath made outcry, unto My Lord, - O wall of the daughter of Zion - Let tears run down as a torrent day and night, Do not give thyself relief, Let not the weeping of thine eye cease!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Sade. Their heart cried to the Lord upon the walls of the daughter of Sion: Let tears run down like a torrent day and night: give thyself no rest, and let not the apple of thy eye cease.

Revised Standard Version
Cry aloud to the Lord! O daughter of Zion! Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite!

Young's Literal Translation
Cried hath their heart unto the Lord; O wall of the daughter of Zion, Cause to go down as a stream tears daily and nightly, Give not rest to thyself, Let not the daughter of thine eye stand still.

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ The elders of Daughter Zion sit silent on the ground. They throw dust on their heads, dress in rough penitential burlap— the young virgins of Jerusalem, their faces creased with the dirt. ¹¹ My eyes are blind with tears, my stomach in a knot. My insides have turned to jelly over my people's fate. Babies and children are fainting all over the place, ¹² Calling to their mothers, "I'm hungry! I'm thirsty!" then fainting like dying soldiers in the streets, breathing their last in their mothers' laps. ¹³ How can I understand your plight, dear Jerusalem? What can I say to give you comfort, dear Zion? Who can put you together again? This bust-up is past understanding. ¹⁴ Your prophets courted you with sweet talk. They didn't face you with your sin so that you could repent. Their sermons were all wishful thinking, deceptive illusions. ¹⁵ Astonished, passersby can't believe what they see. They rub their eyes, they shake their heads over Jerusalem. Is this the city voted "Most Beautiful" and "Best Place to Live"? ¹⁶ But now your enemies gape, slack-jawed. Then they rub their hands in glee: "We've got them! We've been waiting for this! Here it is!" ¹⁷ God did carry out, item by item, exactly what he said he'd do. He always said he'd do this. Now he's done it—torn the place down. He's let your enemies walk all over you, declared them world champions! ¹⁸ Give out heart-cries to the Master, dear repentant Zion. Let the tears roll like a river, day and night, and keep at it—no time-outs. Keep those tears flowing! ¹⁹ As each night watch begins, get up and cry out in prayer. Pour your heart out face-to-face with the Master. Lift high your hands. Beg for the lives of your children who are starving to death out on the streets.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

heart: Psalms 119:145, Isaiah 26:16, Isaiah 26:17, Hosea 7:14

O wall: Lamentations 2:8, Habakkuk 2:11

let tears: Lamentations 1:2, Lamentations 1:16, Lamentations 3:48, Lamentations 3:49, Psalms 119:136, Jeremiah 4:31, Jeremiah 9:1, Jeremiah 9:17, Jeremiah 9:18, Jeremiah 13:17, Jeremiah 14:17

the apple: Bath ayin which sometimes means the pupil of the eye, seems here to denote tears, the produce of the eye; and therefore elegantly termed the daughter of the eye.

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 7:6 - drew water Psalms 6:6 - I water Psalms 137:1 - we wept Ezekiel 24:16 - thy tears

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.

Genesis 3:12
The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

Ruth 3:1
One day her mother-in-law Naomi said to Ruth, "My dear daughter, isn't it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life? And isn't Boaz our close relative, the one with whose young women you've been working? Maybe it's time to make our move. Tonight is the night of Boaz's barley harvest at the threshing floor.

Proverbs 18:22
Find a good spouse, you find a good life— and even more: the favor of God !

1 Corinthians 7:36
If a man has a woman friend to whom he is loyal but never intended to marry, having decided to serve God as a "single," and then changes his mind, deciding he should marry her, he should go ahead and marry. It's no sin; it's not even a "step down" from celibacy, as some say. On the other hand, if a man is comfortable in his decision for a single life in service to God and it's entirely his own conviction and not imposed on him by others, he ought to stick with it. Marriage is spiritually and morally right and not inferior to singleness in any way, although as I indicated earlier, because of the times we live in, I do have pastoral reasons for encouraging singleness.

1 Peter 3:7
The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Their heart cried unto the Lord,.... Either the heart of their enemies, as Aben Ezra; which cried against the Lord, and blasphemed him; or rather the heart of the Jews in their distress, when they saw the walls of the city breaking down, they cried unto the Lord for help and protection, whether sincerely or not; no doubt some did; and all were desirous of preservation:

O wall of the daughter of Zion! this seems to be an address of the prophet to the people of Jerusalem carried captive, which was now without houses and inhabitants, only a broken wall standing, some remains and ruins of that; which is mentioned to excite their sorrow and lamentation:

let tears run down like a river, day and night; incessantly, for the destruction and desolation made:

give thyself no rest; or intermission; but weep continually:

let not the apple of thine eye cease; from pouring out tears; or from weeping, as the Targum; or let it not "be silent" b, or asleep; but be open and employed in beholding the miseries of the nation, and in deploring them.

b אל תדם "non taceat", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "ne sileat", Calvin, Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Their heart - That of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The prophet bids the wall, as the representative of the people who had dwelt secure under its protection, shed floods of tears on their behalf. Broken up by the enemy, it could be their guardian no longer, but by its ruins it might still cry unto the Lord in their behalf.

A river - Or, a brook or torrent.

Rest - Properly, the torpor and numbness which follows upon excessive grief.

Apple of thine eye - See Psalms 17:8 note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 18. O wall of the daughter of Zion — חומת בת ציון chomath bath tsiyon, wall of the daughter of Zion. These words are probably those of the passengers, who appear to be affected by the desolations of the land; and they address the people, and urge them to plead with God day and night for their restoration. But what is the meaning of wall of the daughter of Zion? I answer I do not know. It is certainly harsh to say "O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night." Zion's ways may lament, and her streets mourn; but how the walls can be said to weep is not so easy to be understood, because there is no parallel for it. One of my most ancient MSS. omits the three words; and in it the text stands thus: "Their heart cried unto the Lord, Let tears run down like a river day and night; give thyself no rest," &c.

Let not the apple of thine eye cease. — בת עין bath ayin means either the pupil of the eye, or the tears. Tears are the produce of the eye, and are here elegantly termed the daughter of the eye. Let not thy tears cease. But with what propriety can we say to the apple or pupil of the eye, Do not cease! Tears are most certainly meant.