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!”

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Notas al pie

  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

Jerusalem’s suffering

Oh, no!
She sits alone, the city that was once full of people.
Once great among nations, she has become like a widow.
Once a queen over provinces, she has become a slave.

She weeps bitterly in the night, her tears on her cheek.
None of her lovers comfort her.
    All her friends lied to her; they have become her enemies.

Judah was exiled after suffering and hard service.
She lives among the nations; she finds no rest.
All who were chasing her caught her—
right in the middle of her distress.

Zion’s roads are in mourning; no one comes to the festivals.
All her gates are deserted. Her priests are groaning,
her young women grieving. She is bitter.

Her adversaries have become rulers; her enemies relax.
Certainly the Lord caused her grief because of her many wrong acts.
Her children have gone away, captive before the enemy.

Daughter Zion lost all her glory.
Her officials are like deer that can’t find pasture.
They have gone away, frail, before the hunter.

While suffering and homeless, Jerusalem remembers all her treasures from days long past.
When her people fell by the enemy’s hand, there was no one to help her.
Enemies saw her, laughed at her defeat.

Jerusalem has sinned greatly; therefore, she’s become a joke.[a]
All who honored her now detest her, for they’ve seen her naked.
Even she groans and turns away.

Her uncleanness shows on her clothing; she didn’t consider what would happen to her.
She’s gone down shockingly; she has no comforter.
Lord, look at my suffering—the enemy has definitely triumphed!”

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Notas al pie

  1. Lamentations 1:8 Or she’s become unclean.