LAMENTATIONS
1
The Sorrows of Zion
How Alonely sits the city
That was Bfull of people!
She has become like a Cwidow
Who was once Dgreat among the nations!
She who was a princess among the 1provinces
Has become a Eforced laborer!
She Aweeps bitterly in the night
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has none to comfort her
Among all her Blovers.
All her friends have Cdealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
AJudah has gone into exile 1under affliction
And 1under 2harsh servitude;
She dwells Bamong the nations,
But she has found no rest;
All Cher pursuers have overtaken her
In the midst of 3distress.
The roads 1of Zion are in mourning
Because Ano one comes to the appointed feasts.
All her gates are Bdesolate;
Her priests are groaning,
Her Cvirgins are afflicted,
And she herself 2is Dbitter.
Her adversaries have become 1her masters,
Her enemies 2prosper;
For the Loʀᴅ has Acaused her grief
Because of the multitude of her transgressions;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives before the adversary.
All her Amajesty
Has departed from the daughter of Zion;
Her princes have become like deer
That have found no pasture;
And they have 1Bfled without strength
Before the pursuer.
In the days of her affliction and homelessness
AJerusalem remembers all her precious things
That were from the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And Bno one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They Cmocked at her 1ruin.
Jerusalem sinned Agreatly,
Therefore Bshe has become an unclean thing.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even Cshe herself groans and turns away.
Her Auncleanness was in her skirts;
She 1did not consider her Bfuture.
Therefore she has 2Cfallen astonishingly;
DShe has no comforter.
ESee, O Loʀᴅ, my affliction,
For the enemy has Fmagnified himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the Anations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they should Bnot enter into Your congregation.
11  All her people groan Aseeking bread;
They have given their precious things for food
To Brestore their 1lives themselves.
See, O Loʀᴅ, and look,
For I am Cdespised.”
12 “Is Ait nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any 1pain like my 1pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the BLoʀᴅ inflicted on the day of His Cfierce anger.
13 “From on high He sent fire into my Abones,
And it 1prevailed over them.
He has spread a Bnet for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me Cdesolate,
2Faint all day long.
14 “The Ayoke of my transgressions is bound;
By His hand they are knit together.
They have Bcome upon my neck;
He has made my strength 1fail.
The Lord Chas given me into the hands
Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The ALord has rejected all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed 1time against me
To crush my Byoung men;
The Lord has Ctrodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I Aweep;
1My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a Bcomforter,
One who restores my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17  Zion Astretches out her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Loʀᴅ has Bcommanded concerning Jacob
That the ones round about him should be his adversaries;
CJerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 “The Loʀᴅ is Arighteous;
For I have Brebelled against His 1command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And Cbehold my 2pain;
DMy virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 “I Acalled to my lovers, but they deceived me;
My Bpriests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to Crestore 1their strength themselves.
20 See, O Loʀᴅ, for I am in distress;
My 1Aspirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very Brebellious.
In the street the sword 2slays;
In the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I Agroan;
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of my 1calamity;
They are Bglad that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
That they may become Clike me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You;
And Adeal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
A 1:1 Is 3:26 B 1:1 Is 22:2 C 1:1 Is 54:4 D 1:1 1 Kin 4:21; Ezra 4:20; Jer 31:7 1 1:1 Or districts E 1:1 2 Kin 23:35; Jer 40:9 A 1:2 Ps 6:6; 77:2-6; Lam 1:16 B 1:2 Jer 2:25; 3:1; 22:20-22 C 1:2 Job 19:13, 14; Ps 31:11; Mic 7:5 A 1:3 Jer 13:19 1 1:3 Or by reason of 1 1:3 Or by reason of 2 1:3 Lit great B 1:3 Lev 26:39; Deut 28:64-67 C 1:3 2 Kin 25:4, 5 3 1:3 Or narrow places 1 1:4 Or to A 1:4 Is 24:4-6; Lam 2:6, 7 B 1:4 Jer 9:11; 10:22 C 1:4 Lam 2:10, 21 2 1:4 Or suffers bitterly D 1:4 Joel 1:8-13 1 1:5 Lit head 2 1:5 Or are at ease A 1:5 Ps 90:7, 8; Ezek 8:17, 18; 9:9, 10 A 1:6 Jer 13:18 1 1:6 Lit gone B 1:6 2 Kin 25:4, 5 A 1:7 Ps 42:4; 77:5-9 B 1:7 Jer 37:7; Lam 4:17 C 1:7 Ps 79:4; Jer 48:27 1 1:7 Lit cessation A 1:8 Is 59:2-13; Lam 1:5, 20 B 1:8 Lam 1:17 C 1:8 Lam 1:11, 21, 22 A 1:9 Jer 2:34; Ezek 24:13 1 1:9 Lit did not remember her latter end B 1:9 Deut 32:29; Is 47:7 2 1:9 Lit come down C 1:9 Is 3:8; Jer 13:17, 18 D 1:9 Eccl 4:1; Jer 16:7 E 1:9 Ps 25:18; 119:153 F 1:9 Ps 74:23; Zeph 2:10 A 1:10 Ps 74:4-8; Is 64:10, 11; Jer 51:51 B 1:10 Deut 23:3 A 1:11 Jer 38:9; 52:6 B 1:11 1 Sam 30:12 1 1:11 Lit soul C 1:11 Jer 15:19 A 1:12 Jer 18:16; 48:27 1 1:12 Or sorrow 1 1:12 Or sorrow B 1:12 Jer 30:23, 24 C 1:12 Is 13:13; Jer 4:8 A 1:13 Job 30:30; Ps 22:14; Hab 3:16 1 1:13 Or descended, overthrew B 1:13 Job 19:6; Ps 66:11 C 1:13 Jer 44:6 2 1:13 Or Sick A 1:14 Prov 5:22; Is 47:6 B 1:14 Jer 28:13, 14 1 1:14 Lit stumble C 1:14 Jer 32:3, 5; Ezek 25:4, 7 A 1:15 Is 41:2; Jer 13:24; 37:10 1 1:15 Or feast B 1:15 Jer 6:11; 18:21 C 1:15 Mal 4:3 A 1:16 Jer 14:17; Lam 2:11, 18; 3:48, 49 1 1:16 Lit My eye, my eye B 1:16 Ps 69:20; Eccl 4:1; Lam 1:2 A 1:17 Is 1:15; Jer 4:31 B 1:17 2 Kin 24:2-4; Jer 12:9 C 1:17 Lam 1:8 A 1:18 Ps 119:75; Jer 12:1 B 1:18 1 Sam 12:14, 15; Jer 4:17 1 1:18 Lit mouth C 1:18 Lam 1:12 2 1:18 Or sorrow D 1:18 Deut 28:32, 41 A 1:19 Job 19:13-19; Lam 1:2 B 1:19 Jer 14:15; Lam 2:20 C 1:19 Lam 1:11 1 1:19 Lit their soul 1 1:20 Lit inward parts are in ferment A 1:20 Is 16:11; Lam 2:11 B 1:20 Jer 14:20 2 1:20 Lit bereaves A 1:21 Lam 1:4, 8, 22 1 1:21 Lit evil B 1:21 Ps 35:15; Jer 50:11; Lam 2:15 C 1:21 Is 14:5, 6; 47:6, 11; Jer 30:16 A 1:22 Neh 4:4, 5; Ps 137:7, 8