Jeremiah 9:21

‘Death has climbed in ¹  through our windows. It has entered into our fortified houses. It has taken away our children who play in the streets. It has taken away our young men who gather in the city squares.’

Death has climbed in through our windows and has entered our fortresses; it has cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the public squares.

For death has come up through our windows; It has entered our palaces To cut off the children from the streets, The young men from the town squares.

For death has crept in through our windows and has entered our mansions. It has killed off the flower of our youth: Children no longer play in the streets, and young men no longer gather in the squares.

Death has climbed in through the window, broken into our bedrooms. Children on the playgrounds drop dead, and young men and women collapse at their games.

For death has come up into our windows, forcing its way into our great houses; cutting off the children in the streets and the young men in the wide places.

"Death has come up into our windows, it has entered our palaces, to cut off the children from the streets and the young men from the squares."

For death has come through our windows, Has entered our palaces, To kill off the children–– no longer to be outside! And the young men–– no longer on the streets!

‘Death has climbed in ¹  through our windows. It has entered into our fortified houses. It has taken away our children who play in the streets. It has taken away our young men who gather in the city squares.’

¹ sn Here Death is personified (treated as though it were a person). Some have seen as possible background to this lament an allusion to Mesopotamian mythology where the demon Lamastu climbs in through the windows of houses and over their walls to kill children and babies.