Old/New Testament
The Meaning of Suffering
3 I am a man [C symbolizing Jerusalem] who has seen the ·suffering [affliction]
that comes from the rod of ·the Lord’s [L his] anger.
2 He ·led [L guided and brought] me
into darkness, not light.
3 He turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long [Jer. 21:5].
4 He ·wore out [wasted away] my flesh and skin
and broke my bones.
5 He ·surrounded me with sadness
and attacked me with grief [L has built up and besieged me with bitterness/or poverty and hardship].
6 He made me sit in the dark,
like those who have been dead a long time.
7 He ·shut me [L walled me] in so I could not get out;
he put heavy chains on me.
8 I cry out and beg for help,
but he ·ignores [obstructs] my prayer.
9 He ·blocked [L walled in] my way with ·a stone wall [L cut stones]
and ·led me in the wrong direction [L twisted my paths; Job 19:7–12].
10 He is like a bear ready to ·attack [ambush] me,
like a lion in hiding [Hos. 13:8; Amos 5:19].
11 He led me the wrong way and ·let me stray [or tore me to pieces]
and left me ·without help [desolate].
12 He ·prepared to shoot [has drawn] his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
13 He shot me in the kidneys
with the arrows from his ·bag [quiver; Job 16:13].
14 I was a joke to all my people,
who make fun of me with ·songs [mocking songs] all day long [Ps. 22:7; 69:12; 119:51].
15 ·The Lord [L He] filled me with ·misery [bitterness];
he made me drunk with ·suffering [affliction; L wormwood; gall; C a bitter-tasting herb].
16 He ·broke [made me gnash] my teeth with gravel
and trampled me into the ·dirt [dust; ashes].
17 ·I have no more peace [L My life/soul is rejected from peace].
I have forgotten ·what happiness is [prosperity; L good].
18 I said, “My ·strength [luster; or endurance] ·is gone [has perished],
and I have no hope in the Lord.”
19 Lord, remember my ·suffering [affliction] and my ·misery [or wanderings; homelessness; 1:7],
·my sorrow and trouble [L it is wormwood and gall; 3:15].
20 Please remember me
and think about ·me [L my life].
21 But I have hope
when I ·think of this [L return to my mind/heart]:
22 The Lord’s ·love [loyalty] never ends;
his ·mercies [compassion] never stop.
23 They are new every morning;
Lord, your ·loyalty [faithfulness] is ·great [abundant; Ps. 33:4; 92:2; 143:1].
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is ·mine [L my lot/portion],
so I hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who ·hope in [wait for] him,
to those who seek him.
26 It is good to wait ·quietly [silently]
for the Lord to ·save [be victorious].
27 It is good for someone to ·work hard [L carry/bear the yoke]
while he is young.
28 He should sit alone and be ·quiet [silent];
·the Lord has given him hard work to do [L when it is imposed/heavy on him].
29 He should ·bow down to the ground [L put his mouth in the dust];
maybe there is still hope.
30 He should ·let anyone slap [L give to the striker] his cheek;
he should be ·filled [sated] with ·shame [scorn].
31 The Lord will not reject
his people forever.
32 Although he brings ·sorrow [grief],
he also has ·mercy [compassion] and great ·love [loyalty].
33 He does not ·like to punish people [L afflict from his heart]
or make them ·sad [grieve].
34 ·He sees [L Does he not see…?] if any prisoner of the earth
is crushed under ·his [or their; C the wicked oppressors’] feet;
35 ·he sees [L does he not see…?] if ·someone is treated unfairly [human rights are distorted]
before the Most High God;
36 ·the Lord sees [L does the Lord not see…?]
if someone is cheated in his case in court.
37 ·Nobody [L Who…?] can speak and have it happen
unless the Lord commands it.
38 ·Both [L Do not…?] bad and good things
come by the command of the Most High God [Job 2:10].
39 No ·one [L living person] should complain
·when he is punished for [L before] his sins.
40 Let us ·examine [check] and ·see [investigate] ·what we have done [L our ways]
and then return to the Lord [C repent; Jer. 17:9–10; Ps. 139:23–24].
41 Let us lift up our hands ·and pray from [as well as] our hearts
to God in heaven:
42 “We have ·sinned [transgressed] and ·turned [rebelled] against you,
and you have not forgiven us.
43 “You ·wrapped [covered] yourself in anger and ·chased [pursued] us;
you killed us without ·mercy [pity].
44 You ·wrapped [covered] yourself in a cloud [Ex. 40:34–38],
and no prayer could ·get [pass] through.
45 You made us like ·scum [sweepings] and trash
·among the other nations [L in the midst of the peoples].
46 “All of our enemies
·open [L crack] their mouths and speak against us [2:16].
47 We have been ·frightened [terrified] and fearful,
ruined and ·destroyed [broken].”
48 ·Streams of tears [L Channels of water] flow from my eyes,
because ·my people are destroyed [L of the fracture of my people].
49 My tears flow ·continually [without ceasing],
without ·stopping [respite; relaxation],
50 until the Lord looks down
and sees from heaven.
51 ·I am sad when I see [L My eyes torment my life/soul]
·what has happened to all the women [because of all the daughters] of my city.
52 Those who are my enemies ·for no reason [without cause; Ps. 7:4; 35:7]
hunted me like a bird [Ps. 91:3; Prov. 6:5; 7:23].
53 They ·tried to kill me [destroyed my life/soul] in a pit [Ps. 7:15; 9:15];
they threw stones at me.
54 Water came up over my head [Ps. 69:1–2],
and I said, “I am ·going to die [lost; L cut off].”
55 I called out ·to you [L your name], Lord,
from the ·bottom [depth] of the pit [Ps. 130:1].
56 You heard ·me calling [L my voice], “Do not close your ears
·and ignore my gasps and shouts [to my cries for relief].”
57 You came near ·when [L in the day] I called to you;
you said, “Don’t be afraid.”
58 Lord, ·you have taken my case [you defend/have defended me]
and ·given me back [L redeem; redeemed] my life.
59 Lord, you have seen how I have been wronged.
Now judge my case for me.
60 You have seen ·how my enemies took revenge on me [L all their vengeance]
·and made evil plans against me [L all their plots against me].
61 Lord, you ·have heard [hear] their ·insults [scorn]
and all their ·evil plans [plots] against me.
62 The ·words [whispers; L lips] and ·thoughts [mumblings; murmurs] of ·my enemies [L those who rise up against me]
are against me all the time.
63 Look! In ·everything they do [L their sitting and their rising up]
they ·make fun of me with songs [sing mocking songs; Ps. 69:7–12].
64 Pay them back, Lord,
·for what they have done [L according to the acts of their hands].
65 Make them ·stubborn [L insolent of heart],
and put your curse on them.
66 ·Chase [Pursue] them in anger, Lord,
and destroy them from under ·your [L the Lord’s] heavens.
The Attack on Jerusalem
4 See how the gold has ·lost its shine [lost its luster; L become dim/dark],
how the pure gold has ·dulled [changed]!
The stones of the ·Temple [L Holy Place] are scattered
at ·every street corner [L the top of every street].
2 The precious ·people [children; sons] of ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]
were ·more valuable than [worth their weight in] gold,
but now they are thought of as clay jars
·made by [L the work of] the hands of a potter.
3 Even ·wild dogs [jackals] ·give their milk [L prepare the breast]
to ·feed [suckle; nurse] their young,
but [L the daughter of] my people are ·cruel [violent]
like ostriches in the ·desert [wilderness; Job 39:14–16].
4 The ·babies [L nurslings] are so thirsty
their tongues stick to ·the roofs of their mouths [L their palates].
Children ·beg [ask] for bread,
but no one ·gives [offers] them any.
5 Those who once ate ·fine foods [delicacies; C the food of the rich; Prov. 23:3, 6]
are ·now starving [L desolate] in the streets.
People who ·grew up [were nurtured] ·wearing nice clothes [L in purple/or crimson; C expensive clothes often associated with royalty]
now ·pick through [cling to] ·trash piles [ash heaps; 1 Sam. 2:8; Job 2:8; Ps. 113:7].
6 ·My people have been punished
more than Sodom was [L The iniquity/or punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin/or punishment of Sodom].
·Sodom [L …which] was ·destroyed [L overturned] suddenly,
and no hands ·reached out to help her [or were wrung; Gen. 19; Deut. 29:23; Is. 1:9–10; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:46–56; Matt. 10:15; Jude 7; Rev. 11:8].
7 ·Our [or Her] princes were purer than snow,
and whiter than milk.
Their bodies were redder than ·rubies [or coral];
they looked like ·sapphires [lapis lazuli].
8 But now ·they [L their faces] are blacker than coal,
and no one recognizes them in the streets.
Their skin ·hangs [or shrivels] on their bones;
it is as dry as wood.
9 Those who were ·killed [L pierced] ·in the war [L by the sword] were better off
than those ·killed [L pierced] by ·hunger [famine].
They ·starve in pain and die [drain/waste away],
·because there is no food from the field [L deprived of the produce of the field; Jer. 11:22; 14:12–18].
10 With their own hands ·kind [compassionate] women
·cook [boil] their own children.
They became food
when ·my [L the daughter of my] people were ·destroyed [fractured; broken; Deut. 28:56–57].
11 The Lord turned loose all of his anger;
he poured out his ·strong [L hot] anger.
He set fire to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple; Ps. 74:4–7],
·burning it down to the [L consuming its] foundations.
12 Kings of the earth and ·people [L the inhabitants] of the world
could not believe
that enemies and foes
could enter the gates of Jerusalem [C since God had made his presence known there; Ps. 48:1–2].
13 It happened because her prophets sinned
and her priests did evil [Jer. 1:17–19; 2:7–8, 26; 4:9; 13:12–14].
They ·killed [L poured out blood] in ·the city [L its midst]
·those who did what was right [the righteous].
14 They wandered in the streets
as if they were blind.
They were ·dirty [defiled; C in a ritual sense] with blood [C as if covered with menstrual blood; Lev. 15],
so no one ·would [was able to] touch their clothes.
15 “·Go away [Turn aside]! ·You are unclean [L Unclean!; C in a ritual sense],” people shouted at them.
“·Get away [Turn aside]! ·Get away [Turn aside]! Don’t touch us!”
So they ran away and wandered.
Even the other nations said, “Don’t stay here.”
16 The Lord himself ·scattered [dispersed] them
and did not ·look after [regard] them anymore.
No one respects the priests
or ·honors [has favor for] the elders.
17 Also, our eyes ·grew tired [failed],
looking for help ·that never came [in vain; without purpose; 2:11; Ps. 69:3; 119:82, 123].
We kept watch ·from our towers [or eagerly]
for a nation ·to save us [L that could not save us/give us victory; C Judah had hoped that Egypt would rescue them from Babylon; Jer. 2:18, 36].
18 ·Our enemies [L They] ·hunted [dogged] ·us [L our steps],
so we could not even walk in the ·streets [public areas].
Our end is near. Our ·time [L days] ·is [L fill] up.
Our end has come.
19 Those who ·chased [pursued] us
were faster than eagles in the ·sky [heavens].
They ·ran [chased] us into the mountains
and ambushed us in the ·desert [wilderness].
20 The Lord’s ·appointed king [anointed; C Judah’s king], ·who was our very breath [L the breath of our life/nostrils],
was caught in their traps [2 Kin. 25:5–7].
We had said about him, “We will ·be protected by him [L live in his shadow/shade]
among the nations.”
21 Be happy and ·glad [rejoice], ·people [L daughter] of Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz [C city in Edom; Job 1:1; Jer. 25:20].
The cup [C of God’s judgment] will ·come [pass] to you;
then you will get drunk and go naked [Jer. 25:15–38; 49:12–13].
22 Your ·punishment [or iniquity] is complete, ·Jerusalem [L daughter of Zion; C the location of the Temple].
He will not send you into ·captivity again [exile].
But the Lord will punish the ·sins [iniquity] of Edom;
he will ·uncover [expose] your ·evil [sin].
A Prayer to the Lord
5 Remember, Lord, what happened to us [C a call to God for help and revenge].
Look and see our ·disgrace [scorn].
2 Our ·land [L inheritance] has been turned over to strangers;
our houses have been given to foreigners.
3 We are like orphans with no father;
our mothers are like widows [C defenseless and vulnerable].
4 We have to buy the water we drink;
·we must pay for the firewood [L our wood comes with a price].
5 ·Those who chase after us want to catch us [L We are pursued] by the neck.
We are ·tired [exhausted] and find no rest.
6 We ·made an agreement with [L gave a hand to] Egypt
and with Assyria to get enough food [Is. 28:1—33:24; Jer. 2:35].
7 Our ·ancestors [fathers] sinned against you, but they are ·gone [L no more];
now we ·suffer because of their sins [L bear their iniquity].
8 ·Slaves [Servants] ·have become our rulers [L rule over us; Prov. 19:10; 30:21–22; Eccl. 10:5–7; Is. 24:2],
and no one can ·save us from them [L tear them off us].
9 We risk our lives to get our ·food [bread];
·we face death in the desert [L because of the sword in the wilderness; C fields were outside the walls of the city where the enemy camped].
10 Our skin is ·hot [or black] like an oven;
·we burn with [from the heat/fever of] ·starvation [famine].
11 ·The enemy [L They] ·abused [violated; raped] the women ·of Jerusalem [L in Zion; C the location of the Temple]
and the ·girls [L virgins] in the ·cities [towns] of Judah.
12 Princes were hung by the hands;
they did not respect our ·elders [or old men].
13 The young men ·ground grain at the mill [are forced to grind],
and boys stumbled under loads of wood.
14 The ·elders [or old men] ·no longer sit at the city [L have left the] gates [C the center of government and business];
the young men no longer sing.
15 ·We have no more joy in [L Joy has left] our hearts;
our dancing has turned to ·sadness [mourning].
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
·How terrible it is [L Woe to us] because we sinned.
17 Because of this ·we are afraid [L our hearts are sick],
and now our eyes ·are dim [grow dark; Ps. 69:23].
18 Mount Zion [C Jerusalem] is ·empty [desolate],
and ·wild dogs [jackals] wander around it [Jer. 9:11; 10:22].
19 But you ·rule [sit; C as king] forever, Lord.
·You will be King [L Your throne] ·from now on [L from generation to generation].
20 Why have you forgotten us for so long?
Have you ·left [abandoned; forsaken] us ·forever [L for length of days]?
21 Bring us back to you, Lord, and we will ·return [be restored].
·Make [L Renew] our days as they were before,
22 or have you completely rejected us?
Are you so angry with us?
Continue to Trust God
19 So, brothers and sisters, ·we are completely free [L since we have confidence…; C this “since” clause continues through v. 22] to enter the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary; L holy things; T Holy of Holies] without fear ·because of [or by means of] the blood of Jesus’ death. 20 We can enter through a new and living way that Jesus ·opened [or restored; renewed; or inaugurated] for us. It leads through the curtain—Christ’s ·body [T flesh; C like the curtain of the Most Holy Place, Christ’s body, sacrificed for us, provides access to the presence of God]. 21 And since we have a great priest over God’s house, 22 let us come near to God with a ·sincere [true] heart and a ·sure [confident] faith, because we have ·been made free [L had our hearts sprinkled; C sacrificial blood was sprinkled on people and things to purify them] from a ·guilty [evil] conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water [C water was used in Judaism for ritual purification]. 23 Let us hold ·firmly [without wavering] to the hope that we have confessed, because ·we can trust God to do what he promised [L the one who promised is faithful].
24 Let us think about ·each other and help each other [or how to provoke/rouse/encourage each another] to show love and do good deeds. 25 You should not ·stay away from [neglect; forsake] ·the church meetings [meeting together], as some are doing [C some were abandoning Christianity and returning to Judaism], but you should encourage each other [C to stay faithful to Christ and to other believers], and even more so as you see the day coming [C the day of the Lord, when Christ will return].
26 If we ·decide to [deliberately] go on sinning after we have learned the ·truth [L knowledge of the truth], there is no longer any sacrifice for sins. 27 There is nothing but ·fear in waiting for the [a fearful/terrifying expectation/prospect of] judgment and the ·terrible [raging; furious] fire that will ·destroy [consume; devour] ·all those who live against God [the enemies of God; L those who oppose; the adversaries]. 28 Anyone who ·refused to obey [rejected; disregarded] the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the basis of the ·evidence [testimony] provided by two or three witnesses [Deut. 17:6]. 29 So how much worse punishment do you think is deserved by those who ·do not respect [trample on; show contempt for] the Son of God, who ·look at the blood of the agreement that made them holy as no different from others’ blood [L profane/treat as unholy/common the blood of the covenant], who insult the Spirit of God’s grace? 30 We know that God said, “·I will punish those who do wrong [T Vengeance is mine]; I will repay them [Deut. 32:35].” And he also said, “The Lord will judge his people [Deut. 32:36; Ps. 135:14].” 31 It is a ·terrible [dreadful; terrifying] thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 Remember those ·days in the past [or early days of your faith] when you first ·learned the truth [L were enlightened]. You ·remained strong [endured; persevered] through a hard struggle with many sufferings. 33 Sometimes you were ·hurt and attacked before crowds of people [L exposed to public shame/ridicule and persecution/oppression], and sometimes you shared with those who were being treated that way. 34 You ·helped [had sympathy for; or suffered with] the prisoners [C probably Christians imprisoned for their faith]. You even had joy when ·all that you owned [your property] was ·taken from you [seized; confiscated], because you knew you had ·something [L a possession; property] better and more lasting.
35 So do not ·lose [throw away] ·the courage you had in the past [or your confident trust in God; or your boldness], which has a great reward. 36 You must ·hold on [persevere; endure], so you can do ·what God wants [the will of God] and receive what he has promised. 37 For in a very short time [Is. 26:20],
“The One who is coming will come
and will not delay.
38 ·Those who are right with me [L My righteous one]
will live by faith.
But if they ·turn back with fear [shrink back],
·I [L My soul] will not be pleased with them [Hab. 2:3–4].”
39 But we are not those who ·turn back [shrink back] and are ·lost [destroyed]. We are people who have faith ·and are saved [leading to the possession/ preservation of life/the soul].
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