1[1] How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave.2Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no-one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.3After affliction and harsh labour, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting-place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.4The roads to Zion mourn, for no-one comes to her appointed festivals. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish.5Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. The Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins. Her children have gone into exile, captive before the foe.6All the splendour has departed from Daughter Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursuer.7In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands, there was no-one to help her. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction.8Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honoured her despise her, for they have all seen her naked; she herself groans and turns away.9Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her. ‘Look, Lord, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed.’10The enemy laid hands on all her treasures; she saw pagan nations enter her sanctuary – those you had forbidden to enter your assembly.11All her people groan as they search for bread; they barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. ‘Look, Lord, and consider, for I am despised.’12‘Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the Lord brought on me in the day of his fierce anger?13‘From on high he sent fire, sent it down into my bones. He spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He made me desolate, faint all the day long.14‘My sins have been bound into a yoke[2]; by his hands they were woven together. They have been hung on my neck, and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand.15‘The Lord has rejected all the warriors in my midst; he has summoned an army against me to[3] crush my young men. In his winepress the Lord has trampled Virgin Daughter Judah.16‘This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No-one is near to comfort me, no-one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.’17Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no-one to comfort her. The Lord has decreed for Jacob that his neighbours become his foes; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.18‘The Lord is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have gone into exile.19‘I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.20‘See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.21‘People have heard my groaning, but there is no-one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so that they may become like me.22‘Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint.’
Lamentations 1
English Standard Version
How Lonely Sits the City
1How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. (Ezr 4:20; Ec 2:8; Isa 31:8; Jer 7:34; Jer 15:8; La 5:16)2She weeps bitterly in the night, with 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. (Ps 6:6; Ec 4:1; Jer 9:1; Jer 13:17; Jer 22:22; Jer 30:14; La 1:9; La 1:16; La 1:19; La 1:21; Eze 23:22)3Judah has gone into exile because of affliction[1] 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.[2] (De 28:64; Jer 45:3; Jer 52:27; La 2:9)4The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted,[3] and she herself suffers bitterly. (Jer 14:2; La 1:8; La 1:11; La 1:21; La 2:6)5Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. (De 28:13; De 28:44; 2Ch 36:17; 2Ch 36:20; Jer 12:1; Jer 13:21; Jer 30:14; Jer 52:28; La 1:12; La 3:33; Da 9:16)6From the daughter of Zion all her majesty has departed. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. (Jer 14:6)7Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering 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, her foes gloated over her; they mocked at her downfall. (Ps 119:51; Jer 46:26; La 1:10; La 2:17; Ob 1:12)8Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away. (La 1:4; La 1:21; Eze 16:37; Zec 13:1)9Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future;[4] therefore her fall is terrible; she has no comforter. “O Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!” (De 32:29; Isa 47:7; Jer 13:22; Jer 48:26; La 1:2)10The enemy has stretched out his hands over all her precious things; for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, those whom you forbade to enter your congregation. (De 23:3; Ne 13:1; Ps 79:1; Jer 51:51; La 1:7)11All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. “Look, O Lord, and see, for I am despised.” (Jer 38:9; Jer 52:6; La 1:8; La 1:10; La 1:19; La 2:12; La 4:4)12“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. (Job 21:29; Ps 80:12; Jer 12:13; La 1:5; Da 9:12)13“From on high he sent fire; into my bones[5] he made it descend; he spread a net for my feet; he turned me back; he has left me stunned, faint all the day long. (Ps 9:15; Ps 102:3; Jer 8:18; La 3:11; Eze 12:13; Eze 17:20)14“My transgressions were bound[6] into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail; the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand. (De 28:48)15“The Lord rejected all my mighty men in my midst; he summoned an assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah. (Isa 63:2)16“For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my spirit; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.” (Jer 13:17; La 1:2; La 1:11; La 1:21)17Zion stretches out her hands, but there is none to comfort her; the Lord has commanded against Jacob that his neighbors should be his foes; Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them. (Isa 1:15; Jer 4:31; La 1:16)18“The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity. (De 28:41; 1Sa 12:14; Jer 12:1)19“I called to my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and elders perished in the city, while they sought food to revive their strength. (La 1:2; La 1:11)20“Look, O Lord, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword bereaves; in the house it is like death. (De 32:25; Job 30:27; Isa 16:11; Jer 15:2; La 2:11; Eze 7:15)21“They heard[7] my groaning, yet there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have done it. You have brought[8] the day you announced; now let them be as I am. (Jer 50:11; La 1:2; La 1:4; La 1:8; La 1:11; La 1:16; La 4:21)22“Let all their evildoing come before you, and deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions; for my groans are many, and my heart is faint.” (Ps 109:14; Jer 8:18; La 1:12; La 1:21; La 2:20)