'Mirth' in the Bible

For there they who took us captive demanded of us a song with words,And our tormentors [who made a mockery of us demanded] amusement, saying,“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,And the end of joy may be grief.

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure and gratification; so enjoy yourself and have a good time.” But behold, this too was vanity (futility, meaninglessness).

The heart of the wise [learns when it] is in the house of mourning,But the heart of fools is [senseless] in the house of pleasure.

Instead, there is joy and jubilation,Killing of oxen and slaughtering of sheep,Eating meat and drinking wine, saying,“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”

The mirth of the timbrels (tambourines) ceases,The noise of those who rejoice ends,The joy of the harp ceases.

There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine;All jubilation is darkened,The joy of the earth is banished.

Then I will cause the voices of joy and gladness, and the voices of the bridegroom and the bride to vanish from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem; for the land will become a ruin—a wasteland.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I will remove from this place, before your very eyes and in your time, the sound of joy and the shout of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones [grinding meal] and the light of the lamp [to light the night].

‘It is sharpened to make a slaughter,Polished to flash and glimmer like lightning!’Shall we then rejoice [when such a disaster approaches]? But it rejects and views with contempt the scepter of My son [Judah].

“I will also put an end to all her rejoicing,Her feasts, her New Moons, her Sabbaths,And all her festivals.

Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom.