“ Since my youth they have often attacked me,” let Israel say.

以色列当说：“从我幼年以来，敌人屡次苦害我，

说吧，以色列：“从我幼年以来，人屡次苦害我；

说吧，以色列：“从我幼年以来，人屡次苦害我；

以色列要说：我从小就深受仇敌的迫害，

愿以色列说：“从我幼年以来，敌人就多次苦害我。（本节在《马索拉文本》包括细字标题）

愿以色列说：“从我年幼以来，他们就多次苦害我——

以色列當說：從我幼年以來，敵人屢次苦害我，

說吧，以色列：「從我幼年以來，人屢次苦害我；

說吧，以色列：「從我幼年以來，人屢次苦害我；

以色列要說：我從小就深受仇敵的迫害，

願以色列說：“從我幼年以來，敵人就多次苦害我。（本節在《馬索拉文本》包括細字標題）

讓以色列說：『從我幼年以來敵人就大大苦害我。

願以色列說：「從我年幼以來，他們就多次苦害我——

以色列當曰、自我幼年、人屢苦我兮、

以色列族當曰、余自肇基以來、屢遭困苦兮、

以色列民當曰、從我幼時、敵人屢攻擊我、

嗟我義塞族。自幼多顚沛。

“ They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” let Israel say;

Here is what Israel should say.“ My enemies have treated me badly ever since I was a young nation.

“ Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”— let Israel now say—

From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this:

Since my youth they have often attacked me— let Israel say—

“ Many times they have attacked me from my youth up,” Let Israel say,

“ Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,” Let Israel now say—

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up, Let Israel now say,

Since my youth they have often attacked me— let Israel say—

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:

Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say,

“ If the LORD had not been on our side”– let Israel say this!–

From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the“ Valley of Trouble” into an“ Opportunity for Hope.” There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt.

When Israel was a young man, I loved him like a son, and I summoned my son out of Egypt.

“ Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem:‘ This is what the LORD says:“ I have fond memories of you, how devoted you were to me in your early years. I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted.

In my distress I cried out to the LORD and he answered me.

Judah has departed into exile under affliction and harsh oppression. She lives among the nations; she has found no resting place. All who pursued her overtook her in narrow straits.ד( Dalet)

Whenever they went out to fight, the LORD did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly.

While you were feeling secure I gave you warning. But you said,“ I refuse to listen to you.” That is the way you have acted from your earliest history onward. Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.

They ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites that eighteenth year– that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead.The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel suffered greatly.The Israelites cried out for help to the LORD:“ We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”The LORD said to the Israelites,“ Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian when they oppressed you? You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power.

I was glad because they said to me,“ We will go to the LORD’s temple.”

A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said,“ This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.”

Persist in trusting your amulets and your many incantations, which you have faithfully recited since your youth! Maybe you will be successful– maybe you will scare away disaster.

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles were building a temple for the LORD God of Israel,they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders and said to them,“ Let us help you build, for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him from the time of King Esarhaddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them,“ You have no right to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the LORD God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.”Then the local people began to discourage the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building.They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius of Persia.At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.And during the reign of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes of Persia. This letter was first written in Aramaic but then translated.[ Aramaic:]Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter concerning Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues– the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa( that is, the Elamites),and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates.( This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)“ To King Artaxerxes, from your servants in Trans-Euphrates:Now let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations.Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury will suffer loss.In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, we are sending the king this informationso that he may initiate a search of the records of his predecessors and discover in those records that this city is rebellious and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts from long ago. It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed.We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”The king sent the following response:“ To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings!The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence.So I gave orders, and it was determined that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in rebellion and revolt.Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates and who were the beneficiaries of tribute, custom, and toll.Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct.Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”Then, as soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read in the presence of Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem and stopped them with threat of armed force.

I look up toward you, the one enthroned in heaven.

If the LORD does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain. If the LORD does not guard a city, then the watchman stands guard in vain.

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people,“ All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live.”

But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread. As a result the Egyptians loathed the Israelites,and they made the Israelites serve rigorously.They made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous.

When the LORD restored the well-being of Zion, we thought we were dreaming.

The LORD was furious with Israel and turned them over to King Cushan-Rishathaim of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects for eight years.

I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth. I have been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain.

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion; it cannot be upended and will endure forever.

“ You must no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as before. Let them go and collect straw for themselves.But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. That is why they are crying,‘ Let us go sacrifice to our God.’Make the work harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention to lying words!”So the slave masters of the people and their foremen went to the Israelites and said,“ Thus says Pharaoh:‘ I am not giving you straw.You go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, because there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’”So the people spread out through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw.The slave masters were pressuring them, saying,“ Complete your work for each day, just like when there was straw!”The Israelite foremen whom Pharaoh’s slave masters had set over them were beaten and were asked,“ Why did you not complete your requirement for brickmaking as in the past– both yesterday and today?”The Israelite foremen went and cried out to Pharaoh,“ Why are you treating your servants this way?No straw is given to your servants, but we are told,‘ Make bricks!’ Your servants are even being beaten, but the fault is with your people.”But Pharaoh replied,“ You are slackers! Slackers! That is why you are saying,‘ Let us go sacrifice to the LORD.’So now, get back to work! You will not be given straw, but you must still produce your quota of bricks!”The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told,“ You must not reduce the daily quota of your bricks.”

I look up toward the hills. From where does my help come?

How blessed is every one of the LORD’s loyal followers, each one who keeps his commands!

They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers fondled their virgin nipples there.