1 *aHow doth the city bsit solitary, that was full of people!

cHow is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations,

And dprincess among ethe provinces, how is she become ftributary!

2  She gweepeth sore hin the night, and her tears are on her cheeks:

Among all iher lovers kshe hath none to comfort her:

All her friends lhave dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

3  mJudah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and †because of great servitude:

nShe dwelleth among the heathen, oshe findeth no rest:

All pher persecutors overtook her between qthe straits.

4  The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to rthe solemn feasts:

All sher gates are desolate: her priests tsigh,

Her virgins are uafflicted, and she is in bitterness.

5  Her adversaries are vthe chief, her enemies wprosper;

For the Lord xhath afflicted her yfor the multitude of her transgressions:

zHer children aare gone into captivity before the enemy.

6  And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed:

Her princes are become like harts that find no pasture,

And they are gone without strength before pthe pursuer.

7  Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her bmiseries

All her ||pleasant things that she had cin the days of old,

When her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her:

The adversaries saw her, and did mock at dher sabbaths.

8  Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she †is removed:

All that honoured her despise her, because fthey have seen her nakedness:

Yea, gshe sigheth, and turneth backward.

9  Her filthiness is in her hskirts; she iremembereth not her last end;

Therefore she came down wonderfully: jshe had no comforter.

O Lord, behold my affliction: for the enemy khath magnified himself.

10  The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her ||pleasant things:

For she hath seen that lthe heathen entered into her sanctuary,

Whom thou didst command that mthey should not enter into thy congregation.

11  All her people gsigh, nthey seek bread;

They have given otheir pleasant things for meat ||to relieve the soul:

See, O Lord, and consider; for I am become vile.

12  ||Is it nothing to you, all ye that †pass by? behold, and see

pIf there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, qwhich is done unto me,

Wherewith the Lord rhath afflicted me sin the day of sshis fierce anger.

13  From above thath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them:

uHe hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back:

He hath made me desolate and vfaint all the day.

14  wThe yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand:

They are xwreathed, and come up wupon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall,

The Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

15  The Lord hath ytrodden under foot all zmy mighty men in the midst of me:

He hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men:

The Lord ahath trodden ||the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

16  For these things I weep; mine eye, bmine eye runneth down with water,

Because cthe comforter that should †relieve my soul is far from me:

My children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

17  Zion dspreadeth forth her hands, and cthere is none to comfort her:

The Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him:

Jerusalem is as ea menstruous woman among them.

18  fThe Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his †commandment:

Hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow:

My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

19  I called for gmy lovers, but they deceived me:

My priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city,

hWhile they sought their meat hto relieve their souls.

20  Behold, O Lord; for I am in distress: imy bowels are troubled;

Mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled:

kAbroad lthe sword bereaveth, kat home there is las death.

21  They have heard that mI sigh: cthere is none to comfort me:

nAll mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it:

Thou wilt bring the day that thou hast ||called, and nthey shall be like unto me.

22  oLet all their wickedness come before thee;

And pdo unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions:

For mmy sighs are many, and qmy heart is faint.