The exiles of Judah were more fortunate than the exiles of Ephraim had been. Babylonian policy was to remove only the leaders of troublesome nations, not to transport whole peoples, and the Judahite politicians, princes, and priests were able to lead a tolerable life in Babylon. Indeed, in some ways the bulk of the ordinary population, left behind leaderless in the devastated land of Judah, were less fortunate. The five poems in Lamentations give
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