<p class="poetry">How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!p> <p class="poetry">They will not be put to shame<n id="1" /> when they confront<n id="2" /> enemies at the city gate.p>

<p class="poetry">Your neck is like a tower made of ivory.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Your eyes are the pools in Heshbonp> <p class="poetry">by the gate of Bath-Rabbim.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Your nose is like the tower of Lebanonp> <p class="poetry">overlooking Damascus.p>

<p class="poetry">Wail, O city gate!p> <p class="poetry">Cry out, O city!p> <p class="poetry">Melt with fear,<n id="1" /> all you Philistines!p> <p class="poetry">For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,p> <p class="poetry">and there are no stragglers in its ranks.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Your gates will remain open at all times;p> <p class="poetry">they will not be shut during the day or at night,p> <p class="poetry">so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,p> <p class="poetry">with their kings leading the way.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Sounds of violence<n id="1" /> will no longer be heard in your land,p> <p class="poetry">or the sounds of<n id="2" /> destruction and devastation within your borders.p> <p class="poetry">You will name your walls, &#8216;Deliverance,&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">and your gates, &#8216;Praise.&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">Come through! Come through the gates!p> <p class="poetry">Prepare the way for the people!p> <p class="poetry">Build it! Build the roadway!p> <p class="poetry">Remove the stones!p> <p class="poetry">Lift a signal flag for the nations!p>

As you stand in those places<n id="1" /> announce, &#8216;Listen, all you people who pass through these gates. Listen, all you kings of Judah, all you people of Judah and all you citizens of Jerusalem. Listen to what the <sc>Lordsc> says.<n id="2" />

The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Be very careful if you value your lives!<n id="1" /> Do not carry any loads<n id="2" /> in through<n id="3" /> the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.

Go out to the part of the Hinnom Valley which is near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate.<n id="1" /> Announce there what I tell you.<n id="2" />

When he heard Jeremiah&#8217;s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged.<n id="1" /> Then he put him in the stocks<n id="2" /> which were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="3" />

Say: &#8216;Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David&#8217;s succession.<n id="1" /> You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to what the <sc>Lordsc> says.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">However, some of the officials<n id="1" /> of Judah heard about what was happening<n id="2" /> and they rushed up to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple from the royal palace. They set up court<n id="3" /> at the entrance of the New Gate of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="4" />

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1491; (<i>Daleti>)p> <p class="poetry">The roads to Zion<n id="1" /> mourn<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because no one<n id="3" /> travels to the festivals.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">All her city gates<n id="5" /> are deserted;<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">her priests groan.<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">Her virgins grieve;<n id="8" />p> <p class="poetry">she is in bitter anguish!<n id="9" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1496; (<i>Teti>)p> <p class="poetry">Her city gates have fallen<n id="1" /> to the ground;p> <p class="poetry">he smashed to bits<n id="2" /> the bars that lock her gates.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Her king and princes were taken into exile;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">there is no more guidance available.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">As for her prophets,p> <p class="poetry">they no longer receive<n id="6" /> a vision from the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1500; (<i>Lamedi>)p> <p class="poetry">Neither the kings of the earthp> <p class="poetry">nor the people of the lands<n id="1" /> ever thought<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">that enemy or foe would enterp> <p class="poetry">the gates<n id="3" /> of Jerusalem.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s house. I noticed<n id="1" /> women sitting there weeping for Tammuz.<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">So hearts melt with fear and many stumble.p> <p class="poetry">At all their gates I have stationed the sword for slaughter.p> <p class="poetry">Ah! It is made to flash, it is drawn for slaughter!p>

He will cover you with the dust kicked up by his many horses.<n id="1" /> Your walls will shake from the noise of the horsemen, wheels, and chariots when he enters your gates like those who invade through a city&#8217;s broken walls.<n id="2" />

When he brought me there, I saw<n id="1" /> a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring stick in his hand. He was standing in the gateway.

There were three alcoves on each side of the east gate; the three had the same measurement, and the jambs on either side had the same measurement.<n id="1" />