Study Desk

Jerusalem sinned grievously, thus she became an objection of derision; all those who honored her despise her because they have seen her nakedness. She herself groans and turns away.

For these things, I am weeping, my eyes flow with tears; because a comforter is far from me, one to restore my life. My sons are desolate because the enemy has prevailed.

See, O Yahweh, that I am in distress; my stomach is in torment, my heart has turned inside me because I have certainly rebelled. From outside a sword brings bereavement, inside the house it is like death.

Let all their evil come before you; and deal with them just as you have dealt with me because of all my crimes; for my groaning is much and my heart is faint.

My eyes have spent all their tears; my stomach is in torment, my heart is poured out on the earth because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because child and babe faint in the public squares of a city.

Channels of water run down my eyes because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

My eyes inflict my soul because of all the daughters of my city.

Because of the sins of her prophets, the guilt of her priests, who shed blood in her midst, of righteous people.

We risk our life for food because of the sword of the desert.

Our skin is hot like an oven because of the scorching famine.

Because of this, our heart has become faint, because of these, our eyes have become dim.

Because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate, foxes tread on it.

And you, son of man, you must not be afraid of them, and you must not be afraid of their words, because briers and thorns are with you, and you are sitting among scorpions. You must not be afraid of their words, and you must not be dismayed because of their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

When I say to the wicked, ‘Surely you will die,' and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood.

And when the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, and I place a stumbling block before him, he will die, for you did not warn him. Because of his sin he will die, and his righteousness that he did will not be remembered, and his blood I shall seek from your hand.

so that they will lack food and water, and they will be appalled with one another, and they will waste away because of their guilt.

Therefore, thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because of your commotion more than the nations that are around you—you did not walk in my statutes, and you did not do my regulations, and according to the regulations of the nations that are around you, you did not do.

and I will do with you that which I have not done, and which I will not do again, because of all of your detestable things.

Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh, Surely because you have defiled my sanctuary with all of your vile idols and with all of your detestable things, now indeed I will reduce, and my eye will not take pity, and surely I will show no compassion.

A third of you will die because of the plague, and because of the famine they will perish in the midst of you, and a third will fall through the sword around you, and a third I will scatter to every direction of the wind, and I will draw the sword behind them.