The elders of the daughter of Zion Sit on the ground and keep silence; They throw dust on their heads And gird themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem Bow their heads to the ground.

All who pass by clap their hands at you; They hiss and shake their heads At the daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that is called ‘The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth’?”

“Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him For the life of your young children, Who faint from hunger at the head of every street.”

The waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!”

The Degradation of Zion

How the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered At the head of every street.

The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!