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1 How LORD has covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger! He has cast down the beauty of Israel from heaven to the earth, and has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.
2 LORD has swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and has not pitied. In his wrath he has thrown down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He has brought them down to the ground. He has profaned the kingdom and the rulers thereof.
3 In fierce anger he has cut off all the horn of Israel. He has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy. And he has burned up Jacob like a flaming fire which devours round about.
4 He has bent his bow like an enemy. He has stood with his right hand as an adversary, and has slain all who were pleasant to the eye. He has poured out his wrath like fire in the tent of the daughter of Zion.
5 LORD has become as an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces. He has destroyed his strongholds. And he has multiplied mourning and lamentation in the daughter of Judah.
6 And he has taken away his tabernacle violently, as a garden. He has destroyed his place of assembly. LORD has caused solemn assembly and Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion. And in the indignation of his anger has despised the king and the priest.
7 LORD has cast off his altar. He has abhorred his sanctuary. He has given up the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have made a noise in the house of LORD, as in the day of a solemn assembly.
8 LORD has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. He has stretched out the line. He has not withdrawn his hand from destroying. And he has made the rampart and wall to lament, they languish together.
9 Her gates are sunk into the ground. He has destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her rulers are among the nations where the law is not. Yea, her prophets find no vision from LORD.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground. They keep silence. They have cast up dust upon their heads. They have girded themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes fail with tears, my heart is troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because the young sons and the sucklings faint in the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers, Where is grain and wine? when they faint as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul is poured out into their mothers' bosom.
13 What shall I testify to thee? What shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For thy breach is great like the sea; who can heal thee?
14 Thy prophets have seen false and foolish visions for thee. And they have not uncovered thine iniquity, to bring back thy captivity, but have seen for thee false oracles and causes of banishment.
15 All who pass by clap their hands at thee. They hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men called The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
16 All thine enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee. They hiss and gnash the teeth. They say, We have swallowed her up. Certainly this is the day that we looked for. We have found, we have seen it.
17 LORD has done that which he purposed. He has fulfilled his word that he commanded in the days of old. He has thrown down, and has not pitied. And he has caused the enemy to rejoice over thee. He has exalted the horn of thine adversaries.
18 Their heart cried to 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.
19 Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches. Pour out thy heart like water before the face of LORD. Lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young sons, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.
20 See, O LORD, and behold to whom thou have done thus! Shall the women eat their fruit, the sons who are dandled in the hands? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of LORD?
21 The youth and the old man lay on the ground in the streets. My virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword. Thou have slain them in the day of thine anger. Thou have slaughtered, and not pitied.
22 Thou have called, as in the day of a solemn assembly, my terrors on every side. And there was none who escaped or remained in the day of LORD's anger. My enemy has consumed those whom I have dandled and brought up.
A Conservative Version (ACV)
A Conservative Version (ACV) of the Bible is a translation that aims to provide a conservative and literal interpretation of the biblical texts. Developed with a focus on maintaining fidelity to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, the ACV emphasizes a word-for-word translation methodology. The goal is to preserve the subtleties and nuances of the original languages as accurately as possible. This approach results in a version of the Bible that seeks to remain true to the text's original meaning and context, appealing to readers who prioritize precision and doctrinal integrity.
The text of the Old Testament for A Conservative Version (ACV) came from the American Standard Version published in 1901. The main changes done for the ACV were the replacement of archaic words with more modern ones, except for the old English pronouns, which were kept because they are more communicative. The New Testament was translated from, The New Testament in the Original Greek According to the Byzantine-Majority Text form. That edition was compiled by Maurice A. Robinson and William G. Pierpont, and is of the Textus Receptus tradition from which came the King James Version.
The ACV was created in response to what its translators saw as a trend toward more liberal or dynamic-equivalence translations that prioritize readability over literal accuracy. The translators aimed to produce a text that adheres closely to the original languages, even if this makes the translation more challenging for contemporary readers. This reflects their belief in the importance of preserving the exact words and phrases used in the original scriptures. The ACV also employs traditional theological terminology and phrasing, avoiding modern slang and colloquial expressions in favor of language that conveys the gravity and solemnity of the biblical message.
While the ACV has found appreciation among conservative circles, it has faced criticism for its perceived rigidity and difficulty. Critics argue that its strict adherence to a word-for-word translation can make the text less readable and accessible, potentially alienating readers unfamiliar with the original languages or who prefer a more fluid translation. Despite these criticisms, the ACV remains a valued translation for those who prioritize a conservative and literal approach to Bible interpretation, supporting their doctrinal views with a text they believe closely reflects the original scriptures.