נִשְׁמַת אֱמוּנִים | Nishmat Emunim — reshut №5 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Ḥazon, by Avraham ibn-Ezra

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Avraham ibn Ezra

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18 July 2026 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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12th century C.E., 50th century A.M., acrostic, Acrostic signature, phonetic acrostic translation, פיוטים piyyuṭim, רשויות reshuyot, rhyming translation, שבת חזון Shabbat Ḥazon

“Nishmat Emunim” is the third reshut offered before Nishmat at the outset of the Zemirot (preceding Shaḥarit). It is the fifth reshut among the reshuyot in the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Ḥazon — the final shabbat before 9 Av.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
נִשְׁמַת אֱמוּנִים רָגְזוּ וְחָלוּ בְּיוֹם זַֽעַם בְּמַר יִבְכָּיוּן מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה הוֹגִים בְּרַֽעַם אֵיכָ֣ה ׀ יָשְׁבָ֣ה בָדָ֗ד הָעִיר֙ רַבָּ֣תִי עָ֔ם׃ (איכה א:א)	The avid soul shook, they quaked on the day of trouncing, Bitterly weep year after year, thunderously pronouncing: Alas! How the city people-full sits isolated. (Lamentations 1:1)
נִשְׁמַת בָּנִים זָעֲקוּ מִכֹּֽבֶד מַעֲמָס בְּמַר יִבְכָּיוּן בּוֹכִים יוֹם נִגְלָה עֲוֺנָם הַנִּמְאָס שָׂרָ֙תִי֙ בַּמְּדִינ֔וֹת הָיְתָ֖ה לָמַֽס׃ (איכה א:א)	The born ones’ soul shrieked from their burden’s weight, Bitterly weep the day their foul iniquity was shown straight: She who was princess of states has become a serf! (Lamentations 1:1)
נִשְׁמַת רְווּיִים לַֽעַן וּמַמְּרוֹר בְּאַפְסֵי נְשִׁיָּה בְּמַר יִבְכָּיוּן סוּרָה וְגוֹלָה וְהוֹמִיָּה בָּכ֨וֹ תִבְכֶּ֜ה בַּלַּ֗יְלָה וְדִמְעָתָהּ֙ עַ֣ל לֶֽחֱיָ֔הּ׃ (איכה א:ב)	The rue- and wormwood-sated souls in remote forgotten parts Bitterly weep, turn away, exiled, with a roar in their hearts: Weeping, she weeps in the night, her tears on her cheek. (Lamentations 1:2)
נִשְׁמַת הֲלוּמִים מֵחֲרוֹן אֵל עֶלְיוֹן בְּמַר יִבְכָּיוּן נְהִי וָהִי הֶגְיוֹן אֵיכָה֩ יָעִ֨יב בְּאַפּ֤וֹ ׀ אֲדֹנָי֙ אֶת־בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן׃ (איכה ב:א)	The anguished howling souls from the highest Deity’s rage Bitterly weep, sorrows and woes and dirges none assuage. Alas, the Master’s anger shadows Zion’s daughter! (Lamentations 2:1)
נִשְׁמַת נְתוּקִים בַּחוּצוֹת בְּכׇל־עֵֽבֶר וּפִנָּה בְּמַר יִבְכָּיוּן יוֹם רַבָּֽתִי־עָם הָיְתָה כְּאַלְמָנָה אֵיכָה֙ הָיְתָ֣ה לְזוֹנָ֔ה קִרְיָ֖ה נֶאֱמָנָ֑ה׃ (ישעיה א:כא)	The rotting souls in the fields every which way, Bitterly weep that the people-full was widowed that day. How the faithful town has become a whore! (Isaiah 1:21)
נִשְׁמַת חֲרֵדִים עֲצֵבִים בְּאֶֽרֶץ שִׁבְיָם מִתְחַנְּנִים לָאֵל הֵם וּבְנֵיהֶם גִּזְעָם וּפִרְיָם אוֹמְרִים וְאִֽלּוּ פִֽינוּ מָלֵא שִׁירָה כַּיָּם׃	The anxious miserable souls in their captive land Petition the Deity, them, their children, race, and fruit at hand, Saying, would that our mouths be as full of song as the sea!^[1] A line from the prayer, “Nishmat Kol Ḥai”

Notes

Notes
1	A line from the prayer, “Nishmat Kol Ḥai”

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Avraham ibn Ezra

Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם בֶּן מֵאִיר אִבְּן עֶזְרָא‎ ʾAvraham ben Mēʾīr ʾībən ʾĒzrāʾ, often abbreviated as ראב"ע; Arabic: إبراهيم‎ المجيد ابن عزرا‎‎ Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra; also known simply as Ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167) was one of the most distinguished Jewish biblical commentators and philosophers of the Middle Ages. He was born in Tudela in northern Spain.

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