عقاب أورشليم
1 كَيفَ غَطَّى غضَبُ الرّبِّ
بِنْتَ صِهيَونَ بِالظَّلامِ،
ورَمى مِنَ السَّماءِ إلى الأرضِ
بِأمجادِ إِسرائيلَ.
فلم يَذكُرْ مَوطِـئَ قدَمَيهِ
في يومِ غضَبِهِ.
2 أفنَى الرّبُّ بِلا شَفقَةٍ،
مساكنَ بَني يَعقوبَ،
وفي غيظِهِ دَكَّ إلى الأرضِ
حُصونَ بَيتِ يَهوذا.
وعلى المَملَكةِ ورُؤسائِها
أنزَلَ الرّبُّ لَعنَتَهُ.
3 حَطَّمَ في حِدَّةِ غضَبِهِ
ما لإسرائيلَ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ.
رَدَّ يَمينَهُ إلى الوَراءِ
مِنْ مُجابَهةِ العَدُوِّ.
وأشعَلَ في بَني يَعقوبَ نارا
مُلتَهِبةً أكَلَت ما حَولَها.
4 شَدَّ قَوسَهُ كعَدُوٍّ
وسَدَّدَ بِيَمينِهِ سِهامَهُ،
وأتلَفَ كُلَّ شيءٍ لنا
تَشتَهيهِ العُيونُ.
وفي مساكِنِ بِنْتِ صِهيَونَ
صَبَّ غَيظَهُ كالنَّارِ.
5 صارَ الرّبُّ كَعَدُوٍّ
وسَحَقَ إِسرائيلَ سَحْقا
جميعُ قُصورِها دَمَّرَها
وخَرَّبَ لها حُصونَها.
وفي بَيْتِ يَهوذا
أكثرَ النُّواحَ والأنينَ
6 أزالَ سياجَ جَنَّتِهِ
وقَوَّضَ دَعائِمَ هَيكلِهِ.
أنسَى الرّبُّ شعبَهُ
العيدَ والسَّبتَ في صِهيَونَ،
ونَبَذَ المَلِكَ والكاهنَ
في حِدَّةِ غَيظِهِ؟
7 سَئِمَ الرّبُّ مذبَحَهُ
وتخَلَّى عَنْ بَيتِهِ المُقَدَّسِ.
سَلَّمَ أسوارَ قُصورِها
إلى يَدِ العَدُوِّ.
فهَتَفوا في بَيتِ الرّبِّ
كما في يومِ عيدٍ.
8 قَصَدَ الرّبُّ أنْ يُدَمِّرَ
أسوارَ بِنتِ صِهيَونَ.
مَدَّ الخَيطَ وما رَدَّ يَدَهُ
عَنْ أنْ يَمحَقَها مَحْقا
فأبكى الأبراجَ والحُصونَ
حتّى ذَبُلَت جميعا.
9 غاصَت في الأرضِ أبوابُها.
دَمَّرَ وحطَّمَ أقفالَها.
مَلِكُها ورُؤساؤُها في الغُربَةِ
ولا شَريعةَ هُناكَ.
حتّى أنبـياؤُها لا يَرَونَ
رُؤيا مِنْ عِندِ الرّبِّ.
10 شُيوخُ بِنْتِ صِهيَونَ
يَقعُدونَ على الأرضِ صامِتينَ.
ألقَوا رَمادا على رُؤوسِهِم
واتَّزَروا بِالمُسوحِ،
وعذارَى أُورُشليمَ يَحْنِـينَ
رُؤوسَهُنَّ إلى الأرضِ.
11 كَلَّت مِنَ الدُّمُوعِ عينايَ
وأحشائي امتَلأت مَرارَةً.
كَبِدي انسَكَبَت على الأرضِ
لِخرابِ بِنْتِ شعبـي.
الأطفالُ أُغمِـيَ علَيهِم
في ساحاتِ المدينةِ.
12 يَقولونَ لأمَّهاتِهِم:
«أينَ الخبزُ والماءُ؟»
أُغمِـيَ علَيهِم كالجَرحَى
في ساحاتِ المدينةِ،
أو فاضَت أرواحُهُم
في أحضانِ أُمَّهاتِهِم.
13 بِماذا أصِفُكِ وأُشَبِّهُكِ
يا بِنْتَ أُورُشليمَ؟
مَنْ يُنَجِّيكِ ويُعَزِّيكِ،
يا عذراءُ بِنتُ صِهيَونَ؟
خرابُكِ كالبحرِ لا حَدَّ لَه،
فمَنِ الّذي يَشفيكِ؟
14 أنبـياؤُكِ رَأَوا لَكِ
رُؤَى الكَذِبِ والباطِلِ.
وكَشَفوا عَنْ إثْمِكِ
لَيَرُدُّوا عَنكِ سَبْيَكِ.
كانَت رُؤاهُم عَبَثا
وأكاذِيـبَ وأوهاما.
15 يُصَفِّقُ علَيكِ بِالكفَّينِ
هُزْءًا جميعُ العابِرينَ.
يُصَفِّرونَ ويَهُزُّونَ رُؤُوسَهُم
على بِنْتِ أُورُشليمَ.
أَهذِهِ أجمَلُ المَدائِنِ
وبَهجَةُ الأرضِ كُلِّها؟
16 جميعُ أعدائِكِ يَفتَحونَ
أفواهَهُم علَيكِ تَهَكُّما.
يَصفِرونَ ويَقلِبونَ شِفاهَهُم!
ويقولونَ: «ابتَلَعناها!
هذا يومٌ كَمِ انتَظَرناهُ،
والآنَ نَلمَسُهُ ونَراهُ».
17 فعَلَ الرّبُّ ما قَصَدَهُ
وتمَّمَ ما أوعَدَ بهِ
مُنذُ قديمِ الزَّمانِ.
هدَمَ بِــغَيرِ شَفقَةٍ،
فأشمَتَ بِكِ العَدُوَّ
وأعلى شأْنَ خُصومِكِ.
18 اصرخي عاليا إلى الرّبِّ،
يا أسوارَ بِنْتِ صِهيَونَ
أَسيلي دُموعَكِ كالنَّهرِ
نهارا وليلا.
لا تُعطي نفْسَكِ راحةً.
ولا تُغمِضي حَدَقَةَ عينَيكِ.
19 قومي رَنِّمي في اللَّيلِ،
في ساعاتِ الظَّلامِ الأُولَى
أسكُبـي قلبَكِ كالماءِ
قُبالَةَ وجهِ الرّبِّ.
إرفَعي إليهِ كَفَّيكِ
وتَضَرَّعي لِحَياةِ أطفالِكِ.
أُغميَ علَيهِم مِنَ الجوعِ
في رأسِ كُلِّ شارعٍ.
20 أُنظُرْ يا ربُّ وتأمَّلْ!
هل فعَلتَ بِأحدٍ هكذا؟
أتأكُلُ الأُمَّهاتُ ثَمَرتَهُنَّ:
أطفالَهُنَّ الّذينَ حَضَنَّهُنَّ؟
أيُقتَلُ الكاهنُ والنَّبـيُّ
في بَيتِ مَقْدِسِكَ؟
21 انطَرَحَ الصَّبـيُّ والشَّيخُ
على الأرضِ في الشَّوارِعِ،
فتَياتي وفِتْياني جميعا
سَقَطوا بِـحَدِ السَّيفِ
قَتَلْتَ في يومِ غضَبِكَ،
وذَبَحْتَ بِــغَيرِ شَفقَةٍ.
22 دَعَوتُ الرّبَّ مِنْ كُلِّ صَوبٍ
كما في يومِ عيدٍ.
في يومِ غضَبِكَ مَنْ يَنجو؟
مَنْ يَبقَى على قَيدِ الحياةِ؟
الّذينَ حَضَنتَهُم ورَبَّيتَهُم
أفناهُم عَدُوِّي.
The Lord Was Like an Enemy
The Prophet Speaks:
1 The Lord was angry!
So he disgraced Zion
though it was Israel's pride
and his own place of rest.
In his anger he threw Zion down
from heaven to earth.
2 The Lord had no mercy!
He destroyed the homes
of Jacob's descendants.
In his anger he tore down
every walled city in Judah;
he toppled the nation
together with its leaders,
leaving them in shame.
3 The Lord was so furiously angry
that he wiped out
the whole army of Israel
by not supporting them
when the enemy attacked.
He was like a raging fire
that swallowed up
the descendants of Jacob.
4 He attacked like an enemy
with a bow and arrows,
killing our loved ones.
He has burned to the ground
the homes on Mount Zion.
5 The Lord was like an enemy!
He left Israel in ruins
with its palaces
and fortresses destroyed,
and with everyone in Judah
moaning and weeping.
6 He shattered his temple
like a hut in a garden;
he completely wiped out
his meeting place,
and did away with festivals
and Sabbaths
in the city of Zion.
In his fierce anger he rejected
our king and priests.
7 The Lord abandoned his altar
and his temple;
he let Zion's enemies
capture her fortresses.
Noisy shouts were heard
from the temple,
as if it were a time
of celebration.
8 The Lord had decided
to tear down the walls of Zion
stone by stone.
So he started destroying
and did not stop
until walls and fortresses
mourned and trembled.
9 Zion's gates have fallen
facedown on the ground;
the bars that locked the gates
are smashed to pieces.
Her king and royal family
are prisoners
in foreign lands.
Her priests don't teach,
and her prophets don't have
a message from the Lord.
10 Zion's leaders are silent.
They just sit on the ground,
tossing dirt on their heads
and wearing sackcloth.
Her young women can do nothing
but stare at the ground.
11 My eyes are red from crying,
my stomach is in knots,
and I feel sick all over.
My people are being wiped out,
and children lie helpless
in the streets of the city.
12 A child begs its mother
for food and drink,
then blacks out
like a wounded soldier
lying in the street.
The child slowly dies
in its mother's arms.
13 Zion, how can I comfort you?
How great is your pain?
Lovely city of Jerusalem,
how can I heal your wounds,
gaping as wide as the sea?
14 Your prophets deceived you
with false visions
and lying messages—
they should have warned you
to leave your sins
and be saved from disaster.
15 Those who pass by
shake their heads and sneer
as they make fun and shout,
“What a lovely city you were,
the happiest on earth,
but look at you now!”
16 Zion, your enemies curse you
and snarl like wild animals,
while shouting,
“This is the day
we've waited for!
At last, we've got you!”
17 The Lord has done everything
that he had planned
and threatened long ago.
He destroyed you without mercy
and let your enemies boast
about their powerful forces.
18 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.
19 Get up and pray for help
all through the night.
Pour out your feelings
to the Lord,
as you would pour water
out of a jug.
Beg him to save your people,
who are starving to death
at every street crossing.
Jerusalem Speaks:
20 Think about it, Lord!
Have you ever been this cruel
to anyone before?
Is it right for mothers
to eat their children,
or for priests and prophets
to be killed in your temple?
21 My people, both young and old,
lie dead in the streets.
Because you were angry,
my young men and women
were brutally slaughtered.
22 When you were angry, Lord,
you invited my enemies
like guests for a party.
No one survived that day;
enemies killed my children,
my own little ones.