Study Desk

מ (Mem) With what can I equate you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter Jerusalem? To what can I liken you so that I might comfort you, O Virgin Daughter Zion? Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?

נ (Nun) Your prophets saw visions for you that were worthless lies. They failed to expose your sin so as to restore your fortunes. They saw oracles for you that were worthless lies.

ג (Gimel) He has walled me in so that I cannot get out; he has weighted me down with heavy prison chains.

So I said, "My endurance has expired; I have lost all hope of deliverance from the Lord ."

"My portion is the Lord," I have said to myself, so I will put my hope in him.

You shrouded yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.

ס (Samek) People cry to them, "Turn away! You are unclean! Turn away! Turn away! Don't touch us!" So they have fled and wander about; but the nations say, "They may not stay here any longer."

צ (Tsade) Our enemies hunted us down at every step so that we could not walk about in our streets. Our end drew near, our days were numbered, for our end had come!

Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long?

Bring us back to yourself, O Lord , so that we may return to you; renew our life as in days before,

So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll.

He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving to you." So I ate it, and it was sweet like honey in my mouth.

When I say to the wicked, "You will certainly die," and you do not warn him—you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live—that wicked person will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death.

So I got up and went out to the valley, and the glory of the Lord was standing there, just like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I threw myself face down.

As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and tie you up with them, so you cannot go out among them.

I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house.

I have determined that the number of the years of their iniquity are to be the number of days for you—390 days. So bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

Look here, I will tie you up with ropes, so you cannot turn from one side to the other until you complete the days of your siege.

So he said to me, "All right then, I will substitute cow's manure instead of human excrement. You will cook your food over it."

In all your dwellings, the cities will be laid waste and the high places ruined so that your altars will be laid waste and ruined, your idols will be shattered and demolished, your incense altars will be broken down, and your works wiped out.