Lamentations 1:1–11

¹How lonely sits the city

that was full of people!

How like a widow has she become,

she that was great among the nations!

She that was a princess among the cities

has become a vassal.

²She weeps bitterly in the night,

tears on her cheeks;

among all her lovers

she has none to comfort her;

all her friends have dealt treacherously with her,

they have become her enemies.

³Judah has gone into exile because of affliction

and hard servitude;

she dwells now among the nations,

but finds no resting place;

her pursuers have all overtaken her

in the midst of her distress.

⁴The roads to Zion mourn,

for none come to the appointed feasts;

all her gates are desolate,

her priests groan;

her maidens have been dragged away,

and she herself suffers bitterly.

⁵Her foes have become the head,

her enemies prosper,

because the Lord has made her suffer

for the multitude of her transgressions;

her children have gone away,

captives before the foe.

⁶From the daughter of Zion has departed

all her majesty.

Her princes have become like harts

that find no pasture;

they fled without strength

before the pursuer.

⁷Jerusalem remembers

in the days of her affliction and bitterness

all the precious things

that were hers from days of old.

When her people fell into the hand of the foe,

and there was none to help her,

the foe gloated over her,

mocking at her downfall.

⁸Jerusalem sinned grievously,

therefore she became filthy;

all who honored her despise her,

for they have seen her nakedness;

yea, she herself groans,

and turns her face away.

⁹Her uncleanness was in her skirts;

she took no thought of her doom;

therefore her fall is terrible,

she has no comforter.

“O Lord, behold my affliction,

for the enemy has triumphed!”

¹⁰The enemy has stretched out his hands

over all her precious things;

yea, she has seen the nations

invade her sanctuary,

those whom thou didst forbid

to enter thy congregation.

¹¹All her people groan

as they search for bread;

they trade their treasures for food

to revive their strength.

“Look, O Lord, and behold,

for I am despised.”