18 “The Lord is (A)righteous,
For I (B)rebelled against His [a]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 (C)soul[b] is troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
(D)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 (E)glad that You have done it.
Bring on (F)the day You have [c]announced,
That they may become like me.

22 “Let(G) 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.”

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:18 Lit. mouth
  2. Lamentations 1:20 Lit. inward parts
  3. Lamentations 1:21 proclaimed

18 Yahweh is righteous;
    I have rebelled against his word.[a]
Please hear, all the nations,
    And see my pain;
My young women[b] and young men
    went into captivity.
19 I have called to my lovers,
    they themselves deceived me;
my priests and elders perished in the city
    when they sought food for themselves
        to revive their life.[c]
20 See, O Yahweh, that I am in distress;[d]
    my stomach[e] is in torment,
my heart has turned inside me
    because I have certainly rebelled.
From outside a sword brings bereavement,
    inside the house it is like death.
21 They hear that I was groaning;
    there is no comforter for me.
All my enemies have heard my misery,
    they are pleased that you have done it.
Bring that day that you have proclaimed,[f]
    And let them be like me.
22 Let all their evil come before you;
    and deal with them
just as you have dealt with me
    because of all my crimes;
for my groaning is much and my heart is faint.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:18 Literally “his mouth”
  2. Lamentations 1:18 Or “virgins”
  3. Lamentations 1:19 Or “their soul”
  4. Lamentations 1:20 Literally “there is distress for me”
  5. Lamentations 1:20 Literally “inner parts”
  6. Lamentations 1:21 Or “you have called”