Lamentations 1

The Desolate City

1How desolate the city sits

that was full of people!

She has become like a widow,

once great among the nations!

Like a woman of nobility in the provinces,

she has become a forced laborer.

²She weeps bitterly in the night,

her tears are on her cheeks;

she has no comforter

among all her lovers.

All her friends have been unfaithful to her;

they have become her enemies.

³Judah has gone into exile with misery

and under hard servitude;

she lives among the nations,

she has not found a resting place;

all her pursuers have overtaken her

amidst her distress.

⁴The roads of Zion are mourning

because no one comes to the festival.

All her gates are desolate,

her priests groan;

her young women are worried,

and she herself suffers bitterly.

⁵Her foes have become her master,^a

her enemies are at ease;

Yahweh has made her suffer

because of the greatness of her transgressions.

Her children have gone away,

captive before the foe.

⁶All her majesty has gone away

from the daughter of Zion;

her princes have become like young stags

that have not found pasture;

they have gone away without strength,

before the pursuer.

⁷Jerusalem remembers

the days of her misery and wanderings,

all her treasures

that were from the days of long ago.

When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,

there was no one helping her;

the enemies saw her, they mocked

at her destruction.

⁸Jerusalem sinned grievously,

thus she became an objection of derision;

all those who honored her despise her

because they have seen her nakedness.

She herself groans

and turns away.

⁹Her uncleanness was in her skirts;

she did not remember her future,

she has descended beyond understanding,

there is no comforter for her.

See, O Yahweh, my persecution!

My enemy has been made great!

¹⁰The enemy has stretched out his hand

over all her treasures;

for she has seen the nations,

they entered her sanctuary,

those whom you commanded not to enter

in your assembly.

¹¹All her people groan,

they are searching for bread.

They give their treasures for food,

to bring back life.

See, O Yahweh, and look,

how I am despised.

¹²Is it nothing to you, all who pass by?^b

Look and see

if there is sorrow like my sorrow,^c

which was dealt to me,

which Yahweh inflicted

on the day of his wrath.^d

¹³From heaven he sent fire,

into my bones he let it descend.

He spread out a net for my feet;

he turned me back,

he gave me devastation,

fainting all day.

¹⁴My rebellion was bound as a yoke,

with his hand it was fastened together;

it was put on my neck

and caused my strength to fail.

The Lord gave me into the hands

of those whom I cannot withstand.

¹⁵The Lord has rejected

all my mighty ones in my midst.

He called an assembly against me,

to crush my young men;

like in a wine press,

the Lord has trodden on

the virgin daughter of Judah.

¹⁶For these things, I am weeping,

my eyes flow with tears;^e

because a comforter is far from me,

one to restore my life.

My sons are desolate

because the enemy has prevailed.

¹⁷Zion stretches out her hands;

there is no one to comfort her.

Yahweh has commanded against Jacob,

that those surrounding him^f should be his enemies;

Jerusalem has become

a defilement among them.

¹⁸Yahweh is righteous;

I have rebelled against his word.^g

Please hear, all the nations,

And see my pain;

My young women^h and young men

went into captivity.

¹⁹I have called to my lovers,

they themselves deceived me;

my priests and elders perished in the city

when they sought food for themselves

to revive their life.ⁱ

²⁰See, O Yahweh, that I am in distress;^j

my stomach^k is in torment,

my heart has turned inside me

because I have certainly rebelled.

From outside a sword brings bereavement,

inside the house it is like death.

²¹They hear that I was groaning;

there is no comforter for me.

All my enemies have heard my misery,

they are pleased that you have done it.

Bring that day that you have proclaimed,^l

And let them be like me.

²²Let all their evil come before you;

and deal with them

just as you have dealt with me

because of all my crimes;

for my groaning is much and my heart is faint.