Study Desk

For the Lord will not cast off forever.

For He does not afflict willingly, Nor grieve the children of men.

Why should a living man complain, A man for the punishment of his sins?

My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people.

You have heard my voice: "Do not hide Your ear From my sighing, from my cry for help."

O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.

The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.

Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.

The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us.

They tracked our steps So that we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near; Our days were over, For our end had come.

Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

We pay for the water we drink, And our wood comes at a price.

The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!

Why do You forget us forever, And forsake us for so long a time?

As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.

As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.

Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures [fn] was in the wheels.

When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures [fn] was in the wheels.