Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.

For His anger lasts only a moment,
but His favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may spend the night,
but there is joy in the morning.

A song of ascents.When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.

On that day the Lord God of Hosts
called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads,
and for the wearing of sackcloth.

Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

We played the flute for you,
but you didn’t dance;
we sang a lament,
but you didn’t mourn!

“I assure you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death.

Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.

A time to laugh

Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

But the angel said to him:

Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you will name him John.

You who are now hungry are blessed,
because you will be filled.
You who now weep are blessed,
because you will laugh.

To dance

Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with their tambourines and danced.

As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

General references

My lyre is used for mourning
and my flute for the sound of weeping.

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For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.