Lamentations 1:1-9

New Century Version

Jerusalem Cries over Her Loss

1 Jerusalem once was full of people,
    but now the city is empty.
Jerusalem once was a great city among the nations,
    but now she^[a] 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.”