Lamentations 2:20–22

Look, O Lord, and see!

With whom have you dealt thus?

Should women eat the fruit of their womb,

the children of their tender care?

Should priest and prophet be killed

in the sanctuary of the Lord?

In the dust of the streets

lie the young and the old;

my young women and my young men

have fallen by the sword;

you have killed them in the day of your anger,

slaughtering without pity.

You summoned as if to a festival day

my terrors on every side,

and on the day of the anger of the Lord

no one escaped or survived;

those whom I held and raised

my enemy destroyed.

“Look, Lord, and consider:

Whom have you ever treated like this?

Should women eat their offspring,

the children they have cared for?

Should priest and prophet be killed

in the sanctuary of the Lord?

“Young and old lie together

in the dust of the streets;

my young men and young women

have fallen by the sword.

You have slain them in the day of your anger;

you have slaughtered them without pity.

“As you summon to a feast day,

so you summoned against me terrors on every side.

In the day of the Lord’s anger

no one escaped or survived;

those I cared for and reared

my enemy has destroyed.”

Lord, look and consider

to whom you have done this.

Should women eat their own children,

the infants they have nurtured?

Should priests and prophets

be killed in the Lord’s sanctuary?

Both young and old

are lying on the ground in the streets.

My young women and young men

have fallen by the sword.

You have killed them in the day of your anger,

slaughtering without compassion.

You summon those who terrorize me on every side,

as if for an appointed festival day;

on the day of the Lord’s anger

no one escaped or survived.

My enemy has destroyed

those I nurtured and reared.

“O Lord, think about this!

Should you treat your own people this way?

Should mothers eat their own children,

those they once bounced on their knees?

Should priests and prophets be killed

within the Lord’s Temple?

“See them lying in the streets—

young and old,

boys and girls,

killed by the swords of the enemy.

You have killed them in your anger,

slaughtering them without mercy.

“You have invited terrors from all around,

as though you were calling them to a day of feasting.

In the day of the Lord’s anger,

no one has escaped or survived.

The enemy has killed all the children

whom I carried and raised.”

See, Yahweh, and take note!

With whom have you dealt thus?

Should women eat their young

children of tender care?

Should priest and prophet be slain

in the sanctuary of the Lord?

They lie in the soil of the streets,

young and old;

my young women and young men,

they have fallen by the sword;

you have slain on the day of your anger,

you have slaughtered and not shown mercy.

You have summoned my horror from all around,

as if for a feast day;

no one on the day of Yahweh’s anger

is a fugitive and a survivor;

whoever I have cared for and reared,

my enemy has destroyed.

Behold, O Lord, and consider to whom thou hast done this.

Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long?

Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

The young and the old 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 killed, and not pitied.

Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about,

So that in the day of the Lord’s anger none escaped nor remained:

Those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.