¹ 主何竟發怒，使黑雲遮蔽錫安城！他將以色列的華美從天扔在地上；在他發怒的日子並不記念自己的腳凳。

² 主吞滅雅各一切的住處，並不顧惜。他發怒傾覆猶大民的保障，使這保障坍倒在地；他辱沒這國和其中的首領。

³ 他發烈怒，把以色列的角全然砍斷，在仇敵面前收回右手。他像火焰四圍吞滅，將雅各燒毀。

⁴ 他張弓好像仇敵；他站著舉起右手，如同敵人將悅人眼目的，盡行殺戮。在錫安百姓的帳棚上倒出他的忿怒，像火一樣。

⁵ 主如仇敵吞滅以色列和錫安的一切宮殿，拆毀百姓的保障；在猶大民中加增悲傷哭號。

⁶ 他強取自己的帳幕，好像是園中的窩棚，毀壞他的聚會之處。耶和華使聖節和安息日在錫安都被忘記，又在怒氣的憤恨中藐視君王和祭司。

⁷ 耶和華丟棄自己的祭壇，憎惡自己的聖所，將宮殿的牆垣交付仇敵。他們在耶和華的殿中喧嚷，像在聖會之日一樣。

⁸ 耶和華定意拆毀錫安的城牆；他拉了準繩，不將手收回，定要毀滅。他使外郭和城牆都悲哀，一同衰敗。

⁹ 錫安的門都陷入地內；主將她的門閂毀壞，折斷。她的君王和首領落在沒有律法的列國中；她的先知不得見耶和華的異象。

¹⁰ 錫安城的長老坐在地上默默無聲；他們揚起塵土落在頭上，腰束麻布；耶路撒冷的處女垂頭至地。

¹¹ 我眼中流淚，以致失明，我的心腸擾亂，肝膽塗地，都因我眾民遭毀滅，又因孩童和吃奶的在城內街上發昏。

¹² 那時，他們在城內街上發昏，好像受傷的，在母親的懷裡，將要喪命；對母親說：穀、酒在哪裡呢？

¹³ 耶路撒冷的民哪，我可用甚麼向你證明呢？我可用甚麼與你相比呢？錫安的民哪，我可拿甚麼和你比較，好安慰你呢？因為你的裂口大如海，誰能醫治你呢？

¹⁴ 你的先知為你見虛假和愚昧的異象，並沒有顯露你的罪孽，使你被擄的歸回；卻為你見虛假的默示和使你被趕出本境的緣故。

¹⁵ 凡過路的都向你拍掌。他們向耶路撒冷城嗤笑，搖頭，說：難道人所稱為全美的，稱為全地所喜悅的，就是這城嗎？

¹⁶ 你的仇敵都向你大大張口；他們嗤笑，又切齒說：我們吞滅她。這真是我們所盼望的日子臨到了！我們親眼看見了！

¹⁷ 耶和華成就了他所定的，應驗了他古時所命定的。他傾覆了，並不顧惜，使你的仇敵向你誇耀；使你敵人的角也被高舉。

¹⁸ 錫安民的心哀求主。錫安的城牆啊，願你流淚如河，晝夜不息；願你眼中的瞳人淚流不止。

¹⁹ 夜間，每逢交更的時候要起來呼喊，在主面前傾心如水。你的孩童在各市口上受餓發昏；你要為他們的性命向主舉手禱告。

²⁰ 耶和華啊，求你觀看！見你向誰這樣行？婦人豈可吃自己所生育手裡所搖弄的嬰孩嗎？祭司和先知豈可在主的聖所中被殺戮嗎？

²¹ 少年人和老年人都在街上躺臥；我的處女和壯丁都倒在刀下；你發怒的日子殺死他們。你殺了，並不顧惜。

²² 你招聚四圍驚嚇我的，像在大會的日子招聚人一樣。耶和華發怒的日子，無人逃脫，無人存留。我所搖弄所養育的嬰孩，仇敵都殺淨了。

²⁷ 耶和華如此說：全地必然荒涼，我卻不毀滅淨盡。

¹ A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.

² The woman conceived, and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.

³ When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank.

⁴ His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.

⁵ Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her handmaid to get it.

⁶ She opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

⁷ Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"

⁸ Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child's mother.

⁹ Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." The woman took the child, and nursed it.

¹⁰ The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

¹¹ It happened in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brothers, and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.

¹² He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

¹³ He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"

¹⁴ He said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was afraid, and said, "Surely this thing is known."

¹⁵ Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

¹⁷ The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

¹⁸ When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, "How is it that you have returned so early today?"

¹⁹ They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock."

²⁰ He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."

²¹ Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter.

²² She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land."

²³ It happened in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.

²⁴ God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

²⁵ God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them.