Lamentations 1:1–11

Jerusalem Cries over Her Loss

1Jerusalem once was full of people,

but now the city is empty.

Jerusalem once was a great city among the nations,

but now she ⁿ is like a widow.

She was like a queen of all the other cities,

but now she is a slave.

²She cries loudly at night,

and tears are on her cheeks.

There is no one to comfort her;

all who loved her are gone.

All her friends have turned against her

and are now her enemies.

³Judah has gone into captivity

where she suffers and works hard.

She lives among other nations,

but she has found no rest.

Those who chased her caught her

when she was in trouble.

⁴The roads to Jerusalem are sad,

because no one comes for the feasts.

No one passes through her gates.

Her priests groan,

her young women are suffering,

and Jerusalem suffers terribly.

⁵Her foes are now her masters.

Her enemies enjoy the wealth they have taken.

The Lord is punishing her

for her many sins.

Her children have gone away

as captives of the enemy.

⁶The beauty of Jerusalem

has gone away.

Her rulers are like deer

that cannot find food.

They are weak

and run from the hunters.

⁷Jerusalem is suffering and homeless.

She remembers all the good things

from the past.

But her people were defeated by the enemy,

and there was no one to help her.

When her enemies saw her,

they laughed to see her ruined.

⁸Jerusalem sinned terribly,

so she has become unclean.

Those who honored her now hate her,

because they have seen her nakedness.

She groans

and turns away.

⁹She made herself dirty by her sins

and did not think about what would happen to her.

Her defeat was surprising,

and no one could comfort her.

She says, “Lord, see how I suffer,

because the enemy has won.”

¹⁰The enemy reached out and took

all her precious things.

She even saw foreigners

enter her Temple.

The Lord had commanded foreigners

never to enter the meeting place of his people.

¹¹All of Jerusalem’s people groan,

looking for bread.

They are trading their precious things for food

so they can stay alive.

The city says, “Look, Lord, and see.

I am hated.”