How over Sions daughter hath God hung
His wraths thicke cloud! and
from heaven hath flung
To earth the beauty of
Israel, and hath
Forgot his footstools in the day of wrath!
The
Lord unsparingly hath swallowed
All Jacob's
dwellings, and
demolished
To ground the strengths of
Juda, and
prophan'd
The
Princes of the Kingdome, and the land.
In heat of
wrath, the home of
Israel hee
Hath cleane cut off, and lest the enemie
Be hindred, his right
hand he doth retire,
But is
towards
Jacob, All-devouring fire.
Like to an enemie he bent his bow,
His right hand
was in posture of a foe,
To
kill what
Sions daughter did desire,
'Gainst whom his wrath, he poured forth, like fire.
For like an enemie
Jehova is,
Devouring
Israel, and his Palaces,
Destroying holds, giving
additions
To Juda's daughters
lamentations.
Like to a garden hedge he hath cast downe
The
place where was his
congregation,
And
Sions feasts and sabbaths
are forgot;
Her King, her Priest, his wrath regardeth not.
The Lord forsakes his
Altar, and detests
His
Sanctuary, and in the foes hand rests
His
Palace, and the walls, in which
their cries
Are
heard, as in the true solemnities.
The Lord hath
cast a line, so to confound
And
levell
Sions walls unto the ground;
He drawes not back his hand,
which doth oreturne
The wall, and
Rampart, which together mourne.
Their gates are sunke into the ground, and hee
Hath broke the barres; their King and
Princes bee
Amongst the
heathen, without law, nor there
Unto their Prophets doth the Lord
appeare.
There
Sions Elders on the
ground are
plac'd,
And
silence keepe; Dust on their heads they cast,
In
sackcloth have they girt themselves, and low
The Virgins towards
ground, their heads do throw.
My bowells are growne muddy,
and mine eyes
Are faint with
weeping: and my liver lies
Pour'd
out upon the ground, for miserie
That
sucking children in the streets
doe die.
When they had cryed unto their Mothers, where
Shall we have bread, and
drinke? they fainted there,
And in
the streets like wounded
persons lay
Till 'twixt their mothers breasts
they went away.
Daughter Jerusalem, Oh what may bee
A witnesses or comparison for thee?
Sion, to ease thee, what
shall I name like thee?
Thy breach is like the sea, what help can
bee?
For thee vaine foolish things thy Prophets
sought,
Thee, thine iniquities they have not taught,
Which
might disturne thy
bondage: but for thee
False burthens, and false
causes they would see.
The
passengers doe clap their hands,
and hisse,
And wag their head at thee, and say, Is this
That
citie, which so many men did call
Joy of the earth, and perfectest of
all?
Thy foes doe gape upon thee, and they hisse,
And gnash their teeth, and say,
Devoure wee this,
For this is
certainly the day which wee
Expected, and which now we finde, and
see.
The Lord hath done that which he purposed,
Fulfill'd his word of old determined;
He hath throwne downe,
and not spar'd, and thy foe
Made glad above thee, and advanc'd him
so.
But now, their hearts against the Lord do call,
Therefore, O walls of
Sion, let teares fall
Downe like a
river, day and night; take thee
No rest, but let thine eye incessant
be.
Arise, cry in the night, poure, for thy sinnes,
Thy heart, like
water, when the watch begins;
Lift up thy
hands to God, lest
children dye,
Which, faint for hunger, in the
streets doe lye.
Behold O
Lord, consider unto whom
Thou hast done this; what, shall the
women come
To eate their
children of a spanne? shall thy
Prophet and Priest be slaine in
Sanctuary?
On ground in streets, the yong and old do lye,
My virgins and yong men by sword do dye;
Them in the day of
try wrath thou hast slaine,
Nothing did thee from killing them
container
As to a solemne feast, all whom I fear'd
Thou call'st about mee; when his wrath appear'd,
None did
remaine or scape, for those which I
Brought up, did perish by mine
enemie.
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