Lamentations 1:1-11

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.”