Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. You walls of Daughter Zion, let your tears flow like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, your eyes no rest. New Living Translation Cry aloud before the Lord, O walls of beautiful Jerusalem! Let your tears flow like a river day and night. Give yourselves no rest; give your eyes no relief. English Standard Version Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! Berean Standard Bible The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest. King James Bible Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease. New King James Version Their heart cried out to the Lord, “O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Give your eyes no rest. New American Standard Bible Their heart cried out to the Lord: “You wall of the daughter of Zion, Let your tears stream down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief, Let your eyes have no rest. NASB 1995 Their heart cried out to the Lord, “O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let your tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief, Let your eyes have no rest. NASB 1977 Their heart cried out to the Lord, “O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let your tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Let your eyes have no rest. Legacy Standard Bible Their heart cried out to the Lord, “O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let your tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief; Let your eyes not be still. Amplified Bible Their hearts cried out to the Lord. “O wall of the Daughter of Zion, Let your tears run down like a river day and night; Give yourself no relief, Let your eyes have no rest. Christian Standard Bible The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. Wall of Daughter Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief and your eyes no rest. Holman Christian Standard Bible The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. Wall of Daughter Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief and your eyes no rest. American Standard Version Their heart cried unto the Lord: O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; Give thyself no respite; let not the apple of thine eye cease. Contemporary English Version 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. English Revised Version Their heart cried unto the Lord: O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; give thyself no respite; let not the apple of thine eye cease. GOD'S WORD® Translation The hearts of Jerusalem's people cried out to the LORD, the wall of Zion's people. Let your tears run down like a river day and night. Don't let them stop. Don't let your eyes rest. Good News Translation O Jerusalem, let your very walls cry out to the Lord! Let your tears flow like rivers night and day; Wear yourself out with weeping and grief! International Standard Version Cry out from your heart to the Lord, wall of fair Zion! Let your tears run down like a river day and night. Allow yourself no rest, and don't stop crying. NET Bible Cry out from your heart to the Lord, O wall of Daughter Zion! Make your tears flow like a river all day and all night long! Do not rest; do not let your tears stop! New Heart English Bible Their heart cried to the LORD. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no respite; do not let your tears cease. Webster's Bible Translation Their heart cried to the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thy eye cease. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThe hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest. World English Bible Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief. Don’t let your eyes rest. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionTheir heart has cried to the Lord; O wall of the daughter of Zion, "" Cause to go down tears as a stream daily and nightly, do not give rest to yourself, "" Do not let the daughter of your eye stand still. Young's Literal Translation Cried hath their heart unto the Lord; O wall of the daughter of Zion, Cause to go down as a stream tears daily and nightly, Give not rest to thyself, Let not the daughter of thine eye stand still. Smith's Literal Translation Their heart cried to Jehovah, O wall of the daughter of Zion, cause tears to go down as a torrent day and night thou shalt give no remission to thyself; the daughter of thine eye shall not be silent. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleSade. Their heart cried to the Lord upon the walls of the daughter of Sion: Let tears run down like a torrent day and night: give thyself no rest, and let not the apple of thy eye cease. Catholic Public Domain Version SADE. Their heart cried out to the Lord from the walls of the daughter of Zion. Let tears run down like a torrent throughout the day and the night. Do not give rest to yourself, and do not allow the pupil of your eye to cease. New American Bible Cry out to the Lord from your heart, wall of daughter Zion! Let your tears flow like a torrent day and night; Give yourself no rest, no relief for your eyes. New Revised Standard Version Cry aloud to the Lord! O wall of daughter Zion! Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThe people's heart cried to the LORD of the walls of the daughter of Zion; let your tears run down like a stream day and night: give yourself no rest; let not the apple of your eye cease from shedding tears. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Tsadhe Their heart cried to LORD JEHOVAH of the walls of the daughter of Zion. Make flow as a torrent of tears by day and by night! You shall not be given refreshing for yourselves, and the pupil of your eye shall not cease! OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Their heart cried unto the Lord: 'O wall of the daughter of Zion, Let tears run down like a river Day and night; Give thyself no respite; Let not the apple of thine eye cease. Brenton Septuagint Translation TSADE. Their heart cried to the Lord, Ye walls of Sion, pour down tears like torrents day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eyes cease. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context God's Anger over Jerusalem…17The LORD has done what He planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days of old; He has overthrown you without pity. He has let the enemy gloat over you and exalted the horn of your foes. 18The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest. 19Arise, cry out in the night from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner of every street.… Cross References Jeremiah 14:17 You are to speak this word to them: ‘My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered by a crushing blow, a severely grievous wound. Isaiah 62:6-7 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves, / nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. Psalm 119:136 My eyes shed streams of tears because Your law is not obeyed. Jeremiah 9:1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people. Isaiah 33:7 Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly. Luke 19:41-44 As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ... Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Jeremiah 13:17 But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive. Joel 2:17 Let the priests who minister before the LORD weep between the portico and the altar, saying, “Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not make Your heritage a reproach, an object of scorn among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Psalm 42:3 My tears have been my food both day and night, while men ask me all day long, “Where is your God?” Ezekiel 9:4 “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.” 2 Kings 19:1-4 On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD. / And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz / to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. ... Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Revelation 18:9-11 Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. / In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” / And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— Treasury of Scripture Their heart cried to the LORD, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give yourself no rest; let not the apple of your eye cease. heart Psalm 119:145 KOPH. I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD: I will keep thy statutes. Isaiah 26:16,17 LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them… Hosea 7:14 And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. O wall Lamentations 2:8 The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together. Habakkuk 2:11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. let tears Lamentations 1:2,16 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies… Lamentations 3:48,49 Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people… Psalm 119:136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law. the apple. Jump to Previous Apple Cease Cried Daughter Eye Heart Night Respite Rest River Run Tears Thyself Wall ZionJump to Next Apple Cease Cried Daughter Eye Heart Night Respite Rest River Run Tears Thyself Wall ZionLamentations 2 1. Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem20. He complains thereof to God The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. This phrase reflects the deep anguish and desperation of the people of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege and subsequent destruction. The act of crying out to the Lord is a common biblical response in times of distress, seen in passages like Exodus 2:23-25, where the Israelites groan under Egyptian bondage. It signifies a recognition of God as the ultimate source of help and deliverance. Historically, this period was marked by intense suffering, as the Babylonian conquest led to the destruction of the temple and the city, fulfilling prophecies such as those in Jeremiah 25:11. Theologically, this cry can be seen as an acknowledgment of sin and a plea for mercy, aligning with the broader biblical theme of repentance and restoration. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest. Persons / Places / Events 1. The Daughter of ZionThis term is a poetic reference to the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. It personifies the city as a daughter, emphasizing its relationship with God and its current state of distress. 2. The Wall of the Daughter of Zion Symbolizes the protection and strength of Jerusalem, which has been breached and destroyed, leading to the city's lament. 3. The Lord The covenant God of Israel, to whom the people cry out in their distress, seeking mercy and restoration. 4. The Cry of the Heart Represents the deep, emotional plea of the people of Jerusalem as they face the consequences of their disobedience and the resulting destruction. 5. Tears Like a River A vivid image of continuous mourning and repentance, indicating the depth of sorrow and the need for persistent prayer. Teaching Points The Power of Persistent PrayerJust as the people of Jerusalem are urged to cry out without ceasing, believers today are encouraged to persist in prayer, especially in times of distress. The Importance of Genuine Repentance The tears of the Daughter of Zion symbolize true repentance. Believers are called to examine their hearts and turn back to God with sincerity. God's Faithfulness in Times of Judgment Even in judgment, God remains faithful. Understanding His character helps believers trust in His ultimate plan for restoration. The Role of Community in Lament The collective cry of the people highlights the importance of community support and shared lament in times of crisis. Hope Beyond Despair While Lamentations is a book of sorrow, it also points to the hope of redemption. Believers can find comfort in God's promises of future restoration. Lists and Questions Top 10 Lessons from Lamentations 2Since Psalm 60:1 portrays God as angry and distant, how does this align with the Bible's broader portrayal of His mercy and love? If God wants all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), why does He deliberately harden people's hearts (Romans 9:18)? (Psalm 44:17-19) How is it consistent with other biblical texts that the righteous suffer so severely despite remaining faithful? Psalm 87:7 - In what sense are all 'springs' in Zion, given that historically rivers and water sources are not exclusive to Jerusalem?(18) Their heart.--The possessive pronoun does not refer to any immediate antecedent, but points, with a wild abruptness, to the mourners of Zion. Yet more boldly their cry is an appeal to the "wall" of Zion (comp. Lamentations 2:8, and Isaiah 14:31), to take up its lamentation, as though it were a human mourner. Like a river.--Better, like a torrent. The apple of thine eye.--Literally, "the daughter," as in the English phrase, the "pupil" of the eye. Verse 18. - Their heart cried unto the Lord, etc. "Their heart" can only mean "the heart of the people of Jerusalem." For the expression, comp. Psalm 84:2, "My heart and my flesh cry aloud to the living God." To avoid the rather startling prosopopoeia in the next clause, Thenius supposes a corruption in the group of letters rendered "wall," and attaches the corrected word to the first clause, rendering thus: "Their heart crieth unto the Lord in vain; O daughter of Zion, let tears run down," etc. Another resource, which also involves an emendation, is that of Ewald, "Cry with all thy heart, O wall of the daughter of Zion." O wall, etc. The prosepopoeia is surprising, but is only a degree more striking than that of ver. 8 and Lamentations 1:4. In Isaiah 14:31 we find an equally strong one, "Howl, O gate." Most probably, however, there is something wrong in the text; the following verses seem to refer to the daughter of Zion. Bickell reads thus: "Cry aloud unto the Lord, O virgin daughter of Zion." Like a river; rather, like a torrent. Give thyself no rest. The word rendered "rest" means properly the stiffness produced by cold.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew The hearts [of the people]לִבָּ֖ם (lib·bām) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre cry out צָעַ֥ק (ṣā·‘aq) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 6817: To shriek, to proclaim to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the Lord. אֲדֹנָ֑י (’ă·ḏō·nāy) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 136: The Lord O wall חוֹמַ֣ת (ḥō·w·maṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 2346: A wall of protection of the Daughter בַּת־ (baṯ-) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 1323: A daughter of Zion, צִ֠יּוֹן (ṣî·yō·wn) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 6726: Zion -- a mountain in Jerusalem, also a name for Jerusalem let your tears דִּמְעָה֙ (dim·‘āh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 1832: Tears (of one weeping) run down הוֹרִ֨ידִי (hō·w·rî·ḏî) Verb - Hifil - Imperative - feminine singular Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend like a river כַנַּ֤חַל (ḵan·na·ḥal) Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5158: A stream, a winter torrent, a, valley, a shaft day יוֹמָ֣ם (yō·w·mām) Adverb Strong's 3119: Daytime, by day and night. וָלַ֔יְלָה (wā·lay·lāh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity Give תִּתְּנִ֤י (tit·tə·nî) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person feminine singular Strong's 5414: To give, put, set yourself no אַֽל־ (’al-) Adverb Strong's 408: Not relief, פוּגַת֙ (p̄ū·ḡaṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 6314: Benumbing, cessation and your eyes עֵינֵֽךְ׃ (‘ê·nêḵ) Noun - common singular construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain no אַל־ (’al-) Adverb Strong's 408: Not rest. תִּדֹּ֖ם (tid·dōm) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 1826: To be dumb, to be astonished, to stop, to perish Links Lamentations 2:18 NIVLamentations 2:18 NLT Lamentations 2:18 ESV Lamentations 2:18 NASB Lamentations 2:18 KJV Lamentations 2:18 BibleApps.com Lamentations 2:18 Biblia Paralela Lamentations 2:18 Chinese Bible Lamentations 2:18 French Bible Lamentations 2:18 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Lamentations 2:18 Their heart cried to the Lord: wall (Lam. 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