Lamentations 1

The Sorrows of Zion

1How 1lonely sits the city That was 2full of people! She has become like a 3widow Who was once 4great among the nations! She who was a princess among the 5provinces Has become a 6forced laborer!2She 7weeps bitterly in the night And her tears are on her cheeks; She has none to comfort her Among all her 8lovers. All her friends have 9dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies.310Judah has gone into exile 11under affliction And 12under 13harsh servitude; She dwells 14among the nations, But she has found no rest; All 15her pursuers have overtaken her In the midst of 16distress.4The roads 17of Zion are in mourning Because 18no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gates are 19desolate; Her priests are groaning, Her 20virgins are afflicted, And she herself 21is 22bitter.5Her adversaries have become 23her masters, Her enemies 24prosper; For the Lord has 25caused her grief Because of the multitude of her transgressions; Her little ones have gone away As captives before the adversary.6All her 26majesty Has departed from the daughter of Zion; Her princes have become like deer That have found no pasture; And they have 2728fled without strength Before the pursuer.7In the days of her affliction and homelessness 29Jerusalem remembers all her precious things That were from the days of old, When her people fell into the hand of the adversary And 30no one helped her. The adversaries saw her, They 31mocked at her 32ruin.8Jerusalem sinned 33greatly, Therefore 34she has become an unclean thing. All who honored her despise her Because they have seen her nakedness; Even 35she herself groans and turns away.9Her 36uncleanness was in her skirts; She 37did not consider her 38future. Therefore she has 3940fallen astonishingly; 41She has no comforter. “42See, O Lord, my affliction, For the enemy has 43magnified himself!”10The adversary has stretched out his hand Over all her precious things, For she has seen the 44nations enter her sanctuary, The ones whom You commanded That they should 45not enter into Your congregation.11All her people groan 46seeking bread; They have given their precious things for food To 47restore their 48lives themselves. “See, O Lord, and look, For I am 49despised.”12“Is 50it nothing to all you who pass this way? Look and see if there is any 51pain like my 52pain Which was severely dealt out to me, Which the 53Lord inflicted on the day of His 54fierce anger.13From on high He sent fire into my 55bones, And it 56prevailed over them. He has spread a 57net for my feet; He has turned me back; He has made me 58desolate, 59Faint all day long.14The 60yoke of my transgressions is bound; By His hand they are knit together. They have 61come upon my neck; He has made my strength 62fail. The Lord 63has given me into the hands Of those against whom I am not able to stand.15The 64Lord has rejected all my strong men In my midst; He has called an appointed 65time against me To crush my 66young men; The Lord has 67trodden as in a wine press The virgin daughter of Judah.16For these things I 68weep; 69My eyes run down with water; Because far from me is a 70comforter, One who restores my soul. My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed.”17Zion 71stretches out her hands; There is no one to comfort her; The Lord has 72commanded concerning Jacob That the ones round about him should be his adversaries; 73Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.18“The Lord is 74righteous; For I have 75rebelled against His 76command; Hear now, all peoples, And 77behold my 78pain; 79My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.19I 80called to my lovers, but they deceived me; My 81priests and my elders perished in the city While they sought food to 82restore 83their strength themselves.20See, O Lord, for I am in distress; My 8485spirit is greatly troubled; My heart is overturned within me, For I have been very 86rebellious. In the street the sword 87slays; In the house it is like death.21They have heard that I 88groan; There is no one to comfort me; All my enemies have heard of my 89calamity; They are 90glad that You have done it. Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed, That they may become 91like me.22Let all their wickedness come before You; And 92deal with them as You have dealt with me For all my transgressions; For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”