Lamentations 1:17-22

Revised Standard Version

¹⁷ Zion 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.

¹⁸ “The Lord is in the right,
    for I have rebelled against his word;
but hear, all you peoples,
    and behold my suffering;
my maidens and my young men
    have gone into captivity.

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.

²⁰ “Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress,
    my soul is in tumult,
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.

²¹ “Hear^[a] how I groan;
    there is none to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
    they are glad that thou hast done it.
Bring thou^[b] the day thou hast announced,
    and let them be as I am.

²² “Let all their evil-doing come before thee;
    and deal with them
as thou hast dealt with me
    because of all my transgressions;
for my groans are many
    and my heart is faint.”