Greek: Septuagint (LXX)
English: John Barach
English: John Barach
Chapter 7
The Total Breakdown of Society
The Prophet’s Lament
| 1 Οἴμμοι ὅτι ἐγενόμην ὡς συνάγων καλάμην ἐν ἀμήτῳ καὶ ὡς ἐπιφυλλίδα ἐν τρυγήτῳ οὐχ ὑπάρχοντος βότρυος τοῦ φαγεῖν τὰ πρωτόγονα οἴμμοι, ψυχή. 2 ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν εὐλαβὴς ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ κατορθῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐχ ὑπάρχει· πάντες εἰς αἵματα δικάζονται, ἕκαστος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐκθλίβουσιν ἐκθλιβῇ. 3 ἐπὶ τὸ κακὸν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἑτοιμάζουσιν· ὁ ἄρχων αἰτεῖ, καὶ ὁ κριτὴς εἰρηνικοὺς λόγους ἐλάλησεν, καταθύμιον ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. καὶ ἐξελοῦμαι 4 τὰ ἀγαθὰ αὐτῶν ὡς σὴς ἐκτρώγων καὶ βαδίζων ἐπὶ κανόνος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σκοπιᾶς. οὐαὶ οὐαί, αἱ ἐκδικήσεις σου ἥκασιν, νῦν ἔσονται κλαυθμοὶ αὐτῶν. | 7:1 Woe is me! For I have become like one gathering straw in the harvest, and like a gleaning in the vintage when there is no cluster to eat the first-fruits. Woe is me, O my soul! 2 For the godly man has perished from the earth, and the one who deals uprightly among men does not exist; all contend in court for blood, each one crushes his neighbor with total oppression (ekthlibousin ekthlibē). 3 They prepare their hands for evil; the ruler makes demands, and the judge speaks words of peace—it is the desire of his soul. And I will take away 4 their "good things" like a devouring moth (sēs ektrōgōn) and like one walking upon a measuring-rod on a day of watch. Woe, woe! Your punishments have come; now shall be their weeping. |
The Collapse of Trust
| 5 μὴ καταπιστεύετε ἐν φίλοις καὶ μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπὶ ἡγουμένοις, ἀπὸ τῆς συγκοίτου σου φύλαξαι τοῦ ἀναθέσθαι τι αὐτῇ· 6 διότι υἱὸς ἀτιμάζει πατέρα, θυγάτηρ ἐπαναστήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτῆς, νύμφη ἐπὶ τὴν πενθερὰν αὐτῆς, ἐχθροὶ ἀνδρὸς πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. | 5 Do not trust in friends, and do not hope in leaders; guard yourself from the one who shares your bed, so as not to entrust anything to her. 6 For a son dishonors his father, a daughter shall rise up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are all the men in his own house. |
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
Confidence in the Dark
| 7 Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον ἐπιβλέψομαι, ὑπομενῶ ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ τῷ σωτῆρί μου, εἰσακούσεταί μου ὁ θεός μου. 8 μὴ ἐπίχαιρέ μοι, ἡ ἐχθρά μου ὅτι πέπτωκα· πέπτωκα καὶ ἀναστήσομαι, διότι ἐὰν καθίσω ἐν τῷ σκότει, κύριος φωτιεῖ μοι. 9 ὀργὴν κυρίου ὑποίσω, ὅτι ἥμαρτον αὐτῷ, ἕως τοῦ δικαιῶσαι αὐτὸν τὴν δίκην μου· καὶ ποιήσει τὸ κρίμα μου καὶ ἐξάξει με εἰς τὸ φῶς, ὄψομαι τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ. | 7 But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait upon God my Savior; my God will hear me. 8 Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy, because I have fallen; I have fallen, and I shall rise again; for even if I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light to me. 9 I will endure the wrath of the Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He justifies my cause; He will execute my judgment and bring me out into the light; I shall see His righteousness. |
The Vindication of the Humble
| 10 καὶ ὄψεται ἡ ἐχθρά μου καὶ περιβαλεῖται αἰσχύνην ἡ λέγουσα πρός με Ποῦ κύριος ὁ θεός σου; οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου ἐπόψονται αὐτήν· νῦν ἔσται εἰς καταπάτημα ὡς πηλὸς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς 11 ἡμέρας ἀλοιφῆς πλίνθου. ἐξάλειψίς σου ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη, καὶ ἀποτρίψεται νόμιμά σου 12 ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη· καὶ αἱ πόλεις σου ἥξουσιν εἰς ὁμαλισμὸν καὶ εἰς διαμερισμὸν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ αἱ πόλεις σου αἱ ὀχυραὶ εἰς διαμερισμὸν ἀπὸ Τύρου ἕως τοῦ ποταμοῦ Συρίας, ἡμέρα ὕδατος καὶ θορύβου· 13 καὶ ἔσται ἡ γῆ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν σὺν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν αὐτὴν ἐκ καρπῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων αὐτῶν. | 10 And my enemy shall see it and be covered in shame—she who says to me, "Where is the Lord your God?" My eyes shall look upon her; now she shall be for a trampling, like mud in the streets 11 on the day of the plastering of the brick (aliphēs plinthou). That day is your utter wiping-out, and that day shall rub away your statutes. 12 And your cities shall come to a leveling and to a division of the Assyrians; and your fortified cities to a division from Tyre as far as the river of Syria—a day of water and of tumult. 13 And the earth shall be for a desolation along with those inhabiting it, because of the fruits of their practices. |
A Prayer for Restoration and Forgiveness
The Shepherd’s Return
| 14 Ποίμαινε λαόν σου ἐν ῥάβδῳ σου, πρόβατα κληρονομίας σου, κατασκηνοῦντας καθ' ἑαυτοὺς δρυμὸν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Καρμήλου· νεμήσονται τὴν Βασανῖτιν καὶ τὴν Γαλααδῖτιν καθὼς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ αἰῶνος. 15 καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐξοδίας σου ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ὄψεσθε θαυμαστά. 16 ὄψονται ἔθνη καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται ἐκ πάσης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτῶν, ἐπιθήσουσιν χεῖρας ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν ἀποκωφωθήσονται. 17 λείξουσιν χοῦν ὡς ὄφεις σύροντες γῆν, συγχυθήσονται ἐν συγκλεισμῷ αὐτῶν· ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ ἡμῶν ἐκστήσονται καὶ φοβηθήσονται ἀπὸ σου. | 14 Shepherd Your people with Your rod, the sheep of Your inheritance, those dwelling by themselves in a forest in the midst of Carmel; they shall graze the Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old (hēmerai tou aiōnos). 15 And according to the days of your departure out of Egypt, you shall see wonders. 16 The nations shall see and be put to shame despite all their strength; they shall lay their hands upon their mouths, and their ears shall be made deaf. 17 They shall lick the dust like serpents crawling on the earth; they shall be confounded in their confinement. They shall be in ecstasy at the Lord our God and shall be afraid of You. |
The Uniqueness of God's Mercy
| 18 τίς θεὸς ὥσπερ σύ; ἐξαίρων ἀδικίας καὶ ὑπερβαίνων ἀσεβείας τοῖς καταλοίποις τῆς κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐ συνέσχεν εἰς μαρτύριον ὀργὴν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι θελητὴς ἐλέους ἐστίν. 19 αὐτὸς ἐπιστρέψει καὶ οἰκτιρήσει ἡμᾶς, καταδύσει τὰς ἀδικίας ἡμῶν καὶ ἀπορριφήσονται εἰς τὰ βάθη τῆς θαλάσσης, πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. 20 δώσεις ἀλήθειαν τῷ Ἰακώβ, ἔλεον τῷ Ἁβραάμ, καθότι ὤμοσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τὰς ἔμπροσθεν. | 18 Who is a God like You? Removing injustices and passing over ungodliness for the remnant of His inheritance. He does not hold His anger as a testimony, because He is a lover of mercy (thelētēs eleous). 19 He will turn back and have compassion on us; He will sink our injustices and all our sins shall be cast into the depths of the sea. 20 You will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, just as You swore to our fathers in the days of old. |