How Lonely Sits the City

(A)How lonely sits the city
    that was full of people!
How like (B)a widow has she become,
    she who was great among the nations!
She who was (C)a princess among the provinces
    has become (D)a slave.

(E)She weeps bitterly in the night,
    with tears on her cheeks;
(F)among all her lovers
    she has (G)none to comfort her;
(H)all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
    they have become her enemies.

(I)Judah has gone into exile because of affliction[a]
    and hard servitude;
(J)she dwells now among the nations,
    (K)but finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
    in the midst of her distress.[b]

The roads to Zion mourn,
    for none come to (L)the festival;
(M)all her gates are desolate;
    her priests (N)groan;
her virgins have been afflicted,[c]
    and she herself suffers bitterly.

(O)Her foes have become the head;
    her (P)enemies prosper,
because (Q)the Lord has afflicted her
    (R)for the multitude of her transgressions;
(S)her children have gone away,
    captives before the foe.

From the daughter of Zion
    all her majesty has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
    (T)that find no pasture;
they fled without strength
    before the pursuer.

Jerusalem remembers
    in the days of her affliction and wandering
(U)all the precious things
    that were hers from (V)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 (W)mocked at her downfall.

(X)Jerusalem sinned grievously;
    therefore she became filthy;
all who honored her despise her,
    (Y)for they have seen her nakedness;
she herself (Z)groans
    and turns her face away.

Her uncleanness was (AA)in her skirts;
    (AB)she took no thought of her future;[d]
therefore her fall is terrible;
    (AC)she has no comforter.
“O Lord, behold my affliction,
    for the enemy has (AD)triumphed!”

10 The enemy has stretched out his hands
    over all her (AE)precious things;
for she has seen (AF)the nations
    enter her sanctuary,
those whom you (AG)forbade
    to enter your congregation.

11 All her people (AH)groan
    as (AI)they search for bread;
they trade their (AJ)treasures for (AK)food
    to revive their strength.
“Look, O Lord, and see,
    for I am despised.”

12 “Is it nothing to you, all (AL)you who pass by?
    (AM)Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
    which was brought upon me,
which (AN)the Lord inflicted
    on (AO)the day of his fierce anger.

13 “From on high he (AP)sent fire;
    into my bones[e] he made it descend;
(AQ)he spread a net for my feet;
    he turned me back;
(AR)he has left me stunned,
    faint all the day long.

14 “My transgressions were bound[f] into (AS)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.

15 “The Lord rejected
    all my mighty men in my midst;
he summoned an assembly against me
    to crush my young men;
(AT)the Lord has trodden as in a winepress
    the virgin daughter of Judah.

16 “For these things (AU)I weep;
    my eyes flow with tears;
for (AV)a comforter is far from me,
    one to (AW)revive my spirit;
my children are desolate,
    for the enemy has prevailed.”

17 (AX)Zion stretches out her hands,
    but (AY)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 (AZ)“The Lord is in the right,
    (BA)for I have rebelled against his word;
but hear, all you peoples,
    and see my suffering;
(BB)my young women and my young men
    have gone into captivity.

19 “I called to (BC)my lovers,
    but they deceived me;
my priests and elders
    perished in the city,
while (BD)they sought food
    to revive their strength.

20 “Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
    (BE)my stomach churns;
my heart is wrung within me,
    because I have been very rebellious.
(BF)In the street the sword bereaves;
    in the house it is like death.

21 “They heard[g] (BG)my groaning,
    yet (BH)there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
    (BI)they are glad that you have done it.
You have brought[h] the day you announced;
    (BJ)now let them be as I am.

22 (BK)“Let all their evildoing come before you,
    and deal with them
as (BL)you have dealt with me
    because of all my transgressions;
for (BM)my groans are many,
    and (BN)my heart is faint.”

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:3 Or under affliction
  2. Lamentations 1:3 Or in the narrow passes
  3. Lamentations 1:4 Septuagint, Old Latin dragged away
  4. Lamentations 1:9 Or end
  5. Lamentations 1:13 Septuagint; Hebrew bones and
  6. Lamentations 1:14 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  7. Lamentations 1:21 Septuagint, Syriac Hear
  8. Lamentations 1:21 Syriac Bring

Jerusalem in Affliction

How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
(A)How like a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The (B)princess among the provinces
Has become a [a]slave!

She (C)weeps bitterly in the (D)night,
Her tears are 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.

(E)Judah has gone into captivity,
Under affliction and hard servitude;
(F)She dwells among the [b]nations,
She finds no (G)rest;
All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.

The roads to Zion mourn
Because no one comes to the [c]set feasts.
All her gates are (H)desolate;
Her priests sigh,
Her virgins are afflicted,
And she is in bitterness.

Her adversaries (I)have become [d]the master,
Her enemies prosper;
For the Lord has afflicted her
(J)Because of the multitude of her transgressions.
Her (K)children have gone into captivity before the enemy.

And from the daughter of Zion
All her splendor has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
That find no pasture,
That [e]flee without strength
Before the pursuer.

In the days of her affliction and roaming,
Jerusalem (L)remembers all her pleasant things
That she had in the days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,
With no one to help her,
The adversaries saw her
And mocked at her [f]downfall.

(M)Jerusalem has sinned gravely,
Therefore she has become [g]vile.
All who honored her despise her
Because (N)they have seen her nakedness;
Yes, she sighs and turns away.

Her uncleanness is in her skirts;
She (O)did not consider her destiny;
Therefore her collapse was awesome;
She had no comforter.
“O Lord, behold my affliction,
For the enemy is exalted!”

10 The adversary has spread his hand
Over all her [h]pleasant things;
For she has seen (P)the nations enter her [i]sanctuary,
Those whom You commanded
(Q)Not to enter Your assembly.

11 All her people sigh,
(R)They [j]seek bread;
They have given their [k]valuables for food to restore life.
“See, O Lord, and consider,
For I am scorned.”

12 Is it nothing to you, all you who [l]pass by?
Behold and see
(S)If there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
Which has been brought on me,
Which the Lord has inflicted
In the day of His fierce anger.

13 “From above He has sent fire into my bones,
And it overpowered them;
He has (T)spread a net for my feet
And turned me back;
He has made me desolate
And faint all the day.

14 “The(U) yoke of my transgressions was [m]bound;
They were woven together by His hands,
And thrust upon my neck.
He made my strength fail;
The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand.

15 “The Lord has trampled underfoot all my mighty men in my midst;
He has called an assembly against me
To crush my young men;
(V)The Lord trampled as in a winepress
The virgin daughter of Judah.

16 “For these things I weep;
My eye, (W)my eye overflows with water;
Because the comforter, who should restore my life,
Is far from me.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy prevailed.”

17 (X)Zion [n]spreads out her hands,
But no one comforts her;
The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob
That those (Y)around him become his adversaries;
Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.

18 “The Lord is (Z)righteous,
For I (AA)rebelled against His [o]commandment.
Hear now, all peoples,
And behold my sorrow;
My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.

19 “I called for my lovers,
But they deceived me;
My priests and my elders
Breathed their last in the city,
While they sought food
To restore their life.

20 “See, O Lord, that I am in distress;
My (AB)soul[p] is troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
(AC)Outside the sword bereaves,
At home it is like death.

21 “They have heard that I sigh,
But no one comforts me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
They are (AD)glad that You have done it.
Bring on (AE)the day You have [q]announced,
That they may become like me.

22 “Let(AF) all their wickedness come before You,
And do to them as You have done to me
For all my transgressions;
For my sighs are many,
And my heart is faint.”

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 Lit. forced laborer
  2. Lamentations 1:3 Gentiles
  3. Lamentations 1:4 appointed
  4. Lamentations 1:5 Lit. her head
  5. Lamentations 1:6 Lit. are gone
  6. Lamentations 1:7 Vg. Sabbaths
  7. Lamentations 1:8 LXX, Vg. moved or removed
  8. Lamentations 1:10 desirable
  9. Lamentations 1:10 holy place, the temple
  10. Lamentations 1:11 hunt food
  11. Lamentations 1:11 desirable things
  12. Lamentations 1:12 Lit. pass by this way
  13. Lamentations 1:14 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. watched over
  14. Lamentations 1:17 Prays
  15. Lamentations 1:18 Lit. mouth
  16. Lamentations 1:20 Lit. inward parts
  17. Lamentations 1:21 proclaimed

[a]耶路撒冷的忧患

唉!先前人口稠密的城市,
现在为何独坐!
先前在列国中为大的,
现在竟如寡妇!
先前在各省中为王后的,
现在竟成为服苦役的人!

[b]夜间痛哭,泪流满颊,
在所有亲爱的人中,找不到一个安慰她的。
她的朋友都以诡诈待她,
成为她的仇敌。

犹大被掳,
遭遇苦难,多服劳役。
她住在列国中,得不着安息;
追逼她的在狭窄之地追上她。

锡安的道路因无人前来过节就哀伤,
她的城门荒凉,
祭司叹息,
少女悲伤;
她自己充满痛苦。

她的敌人作主,
她的仇敌亨通;
耶和华因她过犯多而使她受苦,
她的孩童在敌人面前去作俘虏。

锡安[c]的威荣全都失去。
她的领袖如找不着草场的鹿,
在追赶的人面前无力行走。

耶路撒冷在困苦窘迫之时,
就追想古时一切的荣华。
她的百姓落在敌人手中,无人帮助;
敌人看见,就因她的毁灭嗤笑。

耶路撒冷犯了大罪,
因此成为不洁净;
素来尊敬她的,见她裸露就都藐视她,
她自己也叹息退后。

她的污秽是在下摆上;
她未曾思想自己的结局,
她的败落令人惊诧,
无人安慰她。
“耶和华啊,求你看顾我的苦难,
因为仇敌强大。”

10 敌人伸手夺取她的一切贵重物品;
她眼见列国侵入她的圣所,
你曾吩咐他们不可进入你的集会。

11 她的百姓都叹息,寻求食物;
他们用贵重物品换取粮食,要救性命。
“耶和华啊,求你观看,
留意我多么卑微。”

耶路撒冷的哀号

12 所有过路的人哪,愿这事不要发生在你们身上[d]
你们要留意观看,
有像这样临到我的痛苦没有?
耶和华在他发烈怒的日子使我受苦。

13 他从高处降火进入我的骨头,
克制了我;
他张开网,绊我的脚,
使我退后,
又令我终日凄凉发昏。
14 他用手绑我罪过的轭,
卷绕着加在我颈项上;
他使我力量衰败。
主将我交在我不能抵挡的人手中。

15 主弃绝我们当中所有的勇士,
聚集会众攻击我,
要压碎我的年轻人。
主踹下少女犹大[e]
在榨酒池中。

16 我因这些事哭泣,
眼泪汪汪;
因为那安慰我、使我重新得力的,
离我甚远。
我的儿女孤苦,
因为仇敌得胜了。

17 锡安伸出双手,却无人安慰。
论到雅各,耶和华已经出令,
使四围的人作他的仇敌;
耶路撒冷在他们中间成为不洁净。

18 耶和华是公义的!
我违背了他的命令。
万民哪,请听,
来看我的痛苦;
我的少女和壮丁都被掳去。

19 我招呼我所亲爱的,
他们却欺骗了我。
我的祭司和长老寻找食物,要救性命的时候,
就在城中断了气。
20 耶和华啊,求你观看,
因为我在急难中;
我的心肠烦乱,
我心在我里面翻转,
因我大大背逆。
在外,刀剑使人丧亡;
在家,犹如死亡。

21 有人听见我叹息[f]
却无人安慰我!
我所有的仇敌听见我的患难就喜乐,
因这是你所做的。
你使你所宣告的日子来临,
愿他们像我一样。

22 愿他们的恶行都呈现在你面前;
你怎样因我一切的罪过待我,
求你也照样待他们;
因我叹息甚多,心中发昏。

Footnotes

  1. 耶利米哀歌 1:1 本哀歌原文第一至第四章都是字母诗。
  2. 1.2 “她”:本修订版的“国”和“城”的代名词都用“它”;本卷用“她”。
  3. 1.6 “锡安”:原文直译“锡安女子”。
  4. 1.12 “愿这事…身上”或译“这事你们不介意吗”;七十士译本和其他古译本没有本句。
  5. 1.15 “少女犹大”:原文直译“少女犹大女子”。
  6. 1.21 “有人…叹息”:七十士译本是“听啊,我在叹息”。