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How the city sits solitary,

    that was full of people!
She has become as a widow,
    who was great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
    has become a slave!

She weeps bitterly in the night.
    Her tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers
    she has no one to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her.
    They have become her enemies.

Judah has gone into captivity because of affliction,
    and because of great servitude.
She dwells among the nations.
    She finds no rest.
    All her persecutors overtook her within the straits.

The roads to Zion mourn,
    because no one comes to the solemn assembly.
All her gates are desolate.
    Her priests sigh.
Her virgins are afflicted,
    and she herself is in bitterness.

Her adversaries have become the head.
    Her enemies prosper;
for Yahweh[a] has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions.
    Her young children have gone into captivity before the adversary.

All majesty has departed from the daughter of Zion.
    Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture.
    They have gone without strength before the pursuer.

Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and of her miseries
    all her pleasant things that were from the days of old;
when her people fell into the hand of the adversary,
    and no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her.
    They mocked at her desolations.

Jerusalem has grievously sinned.
    Therefore she has become unclean.
All who honored her despise her,
    because they have seen her nakedness.
    Yes, she sighs, and turns backward.

Her filthiness was in her skirts.
    She didn’t remember her latter end.
Therefore she has come down astoundingly.
    She has no comforter.
“See, Yahweh, my affliction;
    for the enemy has magnified himself.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1:5 “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.

[a]How deserted(A) lies the city,
    once so full of people!(B)
How like a widow(C) is she,
    who once was great(D) among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
    has now become a slave.(E)

Bitterly she weeps(F) at night,
    tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers(G)
    there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed(H) her;
    they have become her enemies.(I)

After affliction and harsh labor,
    Judah has gone into exile.(J)
She dwells among the nations;
    she finds no resting place.(K)
All who pursue her have overtaken her(L)
    in the midst of her distress.

The roads to Zion mourn,(M)
    for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
All her gateways are desolate,(N)
    her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
    and she is in bitter anguish.(O)

Her foes have become her masters;
    her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief(P)
    because of her many sins.(Q)
Her children have gone into exile,(R)
    captive before the foe.(S)

All the splendor has departed
    from Daughter Zion.(T)
Her princes are like deer
    that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled(U)
    before the pursuer.

In 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.(V)
Her enemies looked at her
    and laughed(W) at her destruction.

Jerusalem has sinned(X) greatly
    and so has become unclean.(Y)
All who honored her despise her,
    for they have all seen her naked;(Z)
she herself groans(AA)
    and turns away.

Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
    she did not consider her future.(AB)
Her fall(AC) was astounding;
    there was none to comfort(AD) her.
“Look, Lord, on my affliction,(AE)
    for the enemy has triumphed.”

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.