LAMENTATIONS 1:1-18; 2:5; 4:14 [41.292, 42.289, 43.161 {233,768,1216}]

Comments:

1. Fragment identifications are based on 42.289 {768}.

2. This text is quite different than the MT.

A. Occasionally the verses are so different that the MT and the DSS are translated and put one above the other after the initial (normal) reconstruction, highlighting only the differences.

3. Features: occasionally YHWH (the LORD/YHWH) for MT's adonai (Lord); and vice versa.

4. 1:16 and 1:17 are reversed (and have minor differences). However, the DSS version disrupts the acrostic of chapter 1.


Lamentations 1:1b-6a [42.289, 43.161 {768,1216} Bottom Right Fragment]

1:1 How lonely sits the city That was full of people! She has become like a widow Who was once great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces Has become a forced laborer!

2 She weeps bitterly in the night, And her tears are on her cheeks; She has none to comfort her Among all her lovers. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies.

3 Judah has gone into exile under affliction, And under harsh servitude; She dwells among the nations, But she has found no rest; All her pursuers have overtaken her In the midst of distress.

4 The roads of Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests are groaning, Her virgins are afflicted,{?} And she herself is bitter.

5 Her adversaries have become her masters, Her enemies prosper; For the LORD has caused her grief Because of the multitude of her transgressions; Her little ones have gone away As captives before the adversary.

6a And all her majesty Has departed from the daughter of Zion;

Lamentations 1:6b-10a [41.292, 42.289, 43.161 {233,768,1216} Top Fragment, Right Column]

6b Her princes have become like bucks That have found no {or to it/them} no and pasture; And they have fled without without {different word} strength Before the pursuer.

7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem the LORD remembers all her precious things our pain That were {/was} from the days of old When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, And no one helped her. The her adversaries saw her, {NASB They} mocked at her ruin her brokenness/destruction.

{It appears as though the beginning of v7 is omitted; the line would be too long (i.e. omit `In the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem' and replace with `the LORD').}

Comparison, highlighting differences:

MT: In the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem remembers all her precious things That were from the days of old When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, And no one helped her. The adversaries saw her, They mocked at her ruin.

DSS: The LORD remembers all our pain That were from the days of old When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, And no one helped. Her adversaries mocked at her brokenness/destruction.

8 Jerusalem sinned greatly, Therefore she has become an unclean thing. All who honored her despise her Because they have seen her nakedness; Even she herself groans and turns away.

9 Her uncleanness was in her skirts; She did not consider her future; Therefore she has fallen astonishingly {spelled differently}; She has no comforter. "See, O LORD, my affliction, For the enemy has magnified himself!"

10a The adversary has stretched out his hand Over all her precious things, For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,

Lamentations 1:10b-18a [42.289, 43.161 {768,1216} Top Fragment, Left column]

10b The ones whom Thou didst command That they should not enter into Thy congregation.

11 All her people groan seeking bread; They have given their her precious things for food To restore their her lives themselves. "See, O LORD, and look, For I am despised."

12 "Is it nothing to all you who pass this way? Look and see if there is any pain like my pain Which was severely dealt out to me, Which the LORD inflicted, caused them to sojourn {or `attacked'} on the day of His fierce anger.

13 "From on high He sent fire into my bones, And it He prevailed over me over them; He has spread a net for my feet; He has turned me back; He has made me desolate {spelled differently}, all day and faint {NASB `Faint all day long'}.

14 "The yoke of my transgressions is ?????? is bound; {Most translations say something like "is bound," but the translation of the MT's word is uncertain (so note NRSV)}. By His hand and they are he/it is knit together; They have come upon my neck; He has made my strength fail; The Lord {Adonai} The LORD {YHWH} has given me into the hands Of those against whom I am not able to stand.


Comparison, highlighting differences:

MT: The yoke of my transgressions is ?????, By His hand they are knit together; They have come upon my neck; He has made my strength fail; The Lord {Adonai} has given me into the hands Of those against whom I am not able to stand.

DSS: The yoke of my transgressions is bound by His hand, and it is knit together; They have come upon my neck; He has made my strength fail; The LORD {YHWH} has given me into the hand Of those against whom I am not able to stand.


15 "The Lord has rejected all my strong men In my midst; He has called an appointed time against me To crush my young men; The Lord {Adonai} The LORD {YHWH} has trodden as in a wine press The virgin daughter of Judah.

16 "For these things I weep; My eyes run down with water; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul; My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed."

17 The daughter of Zion stretches out her hands; There is no one to comfort her among all her lovers; Righteous are You, O LORD; The Lord has lied in wait for The LORD has commanded concerning Jacob That the ones round about him should be his adversaries; Jerusalem The righteous has become an unclean thing among them.


Comparision, highlighting the differences:

MT: Zion stretches out her hands; There is no one to comfort her; The LORD has commanded concerning Jacob That the ones round about him should be his adversaries; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.

DSS: The daughter of Zion stretches out her hands; There is no one to comfort her among all her lovers; Righteous are You, O LORD; The Lord has lied in wait for Jacob That the ones round about him should be his adversaries; The righteous has become an unclean thing among them.

{addition to v17; roughly equals v 16} "For these things my eyes weep; My tears run down; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul; My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed."

Comparison of MT v16 and DSS v17 addition:

MT: "For these things I weep; My eyes My eyes {2x in MT} run down with water; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul; My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed."

DSS: "For these things my eyes weep; My tears run down; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul; My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed."


18 "The LORD {YHWH} The Lord {Adonai}, He% is righteous; For I have rebelled against His command; Hear now, all peoples, And behold my pain; My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.

Lamentations 2:5 [42.289, 43.161 {768,1216} Bottom Center Fragment]

2:5 The Lord has become like an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel; He has swallowed up all its palaces; He has destroyed its strongholds And multiplied in the daughter of Judah Mourning and moaning.

Lamentations 4:14? [42.289 {768} Bottom Right Fragment]

4:14 They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments.


Key to the English Text Reconstructions

SIMILARITIES: Regular = MT yes, DSS yes; Italics = MT yes, DSS probable; Small Type = MT yes, DSS hole

DIFFERENCES: Italics/Bold (Blue) = MT yes, DSS no; Underline/Bold (Red) = DSS yes, MT no; Underline (Purple) = DSS probable, MT no

OTHER: .... = blank space, apparently with no writing; $ = present in NASB, but missing in MT; % = correction of NASB to make it reflect MT; Phrase in {brackets} = explanation.

ABBREVIATIONS: MT = Masoretic Text (1,000 years old); DSS = Dead Sea Scrolls (2,000 years old); NASB = New American Standard Bible, a literal English Bible translation