Lamentations 1

1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! She is become as a widow, that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces is become tributary!

2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they are become her enemies.

3 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude; She dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest: All her persecutors overtook her within the straits.

4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

5 Her adversaries are become the head, her enemies prosper; For Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: Her young children are gone into captivity before the adversary.

6 And from the daughter of Zion all her majesty is departed: Her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, And they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

7 Jerusalem remembereth 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 none did help her, The adversaries saw her, they did mock at her desolations.

8 Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is become as an unclean thing; All that honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: Yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

9 Her filthiness was in her skirts; she remembered not her latter end; Therefore is she come down wonderfully; she hath no comforter: Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction; for the enemy hath magnified himself.

10 The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: For she hath seen that the nations are entered into her sanctuary, Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thine assembly.

11 All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: See, O Jehovah, and behold; for I am become abject.

12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is brought upon me, Wherewith Jehovah hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

13 From on high hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them; He hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: He hath made me desolate and faint all the day.

14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand; They are knit together, they are come up upon my neck; he hath made my strength to fail: The Lord hath delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand.

15 The Lord hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord hath trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.

16 For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; Because the comforter that should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because the enemy hath prevailed.

17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands; there is none to comfort her; Jehovah hath commanded concerning Jacob, that they that are round about him should be his adversaries: Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.

18 Jehovah is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow: My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: My priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, While they sought them food to refresh their souls.

20 Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

21 They have heard that I sigh; there is none to comfort me; All mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: Thou wilt bring the day that thou hast proclaimed, and they shall be like unto me.

22 Let all their wickedness come before thee; And do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

Lamentations 1

The Prophet Speaks:

א (Alef)

1 s Alas!ts The city once full of peoplets
now sits all alone!t
The prominentt lady among the nations
has become a widow!t
The princessts who once ruled the provincest
has becomet a forced laborer!t

ב (Bet)

2 She weeps bitterly at night;
tears stream down her cheeks.t
She has no one to comfort her
among all her lovers.t
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.

ג (Gimel)

3 Judaht has departed into exile
undert affliction and harsh oppression.t
Shet lives among the nations;
she has found no resting place.
All who pursued her overtook her
int narrow straits.t

ד (Dalet)

4 The roads to Zionts mournts
because no onet travels to the festivals.t
All her city gatess are deserted;t
her priests groan.t
Her virgins grieve;st
she is in bitter anguish!t

ה (He)

5 Her foes subjugated her;t
her enemies are at ease.t
For the Lord afflicted her
because of her many acts of rebellion.t
Her children went away
captivet before the enemy.

ו (Vav)

6 All of Daughter Zion’st splendort
has departed.t
Her leaders became like deer;
they found no pasture,
so they were too exhausted to escapet
from the hunter.t

ז (Zayin)

7 Jerusalems remembers,s
whent she became a poor homeless person,t
all her treasures
that she owned in days of old.s
When her people fell into an enemy’s grip,t
none of her allies came to her rescue.t
Her enemiest gloated overt her;
they sneeredt at her downfall.st

ח (Khet)

8 Jerusalem committed terrible sin;s
therefore she became an object of scorn.t
All who admireds her have despised hert
because they have seen her nakedness.s
She groans aloudt
and turns away in shame.t

ט (Tet)

9 Her menstrual flowt has soiledt her clothing;t
she did not considert the consequences of her sin.t
Her demisest was astonishing,t
and there was no one to comfort her.
She cried, “Look,t O Lord, on mys affliction
because myt enemy boasts!”

י (Yod)

10 An enemy grabbedt
all her valuables.st
Indeed she watched in horrort as Gentiless
invaded her holy templet –
those whom yous had commanded:
“They must not entert your assembly place.”ts

כ (Kaf)

11 All her people groaned
as they searched for a morsel of bread.t
They exchangedt their valuablest
fort just enough food
to stay alive.t
“Look, O Lord! Considers
that I have become worthless!”

Jerusalem Speaks:

ל (Lamed)

12 Is it nothing to you,s all you who pass by on the road?t
Look and see!
Is there any pain like mine?
The Lordt has afflicted me,t
hes has inflicted it on me
whent he burned with anger.t

מ (Mem)

13 He sent down firet
into my bones, and it overcames them.
He spread out a trapper’s nett for my feet;
he made me turn back.
He has made me desolate;
I am faint all day long.

נ (Nun)

14 My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke;st
they are fastened together by his hand.
He has placed his yokes on my neck;t
he has sapped my strength.t
The Lords has handed me overt
to those whom I cannot resist.

ס (Samek)

15 He rounded upt all my mighty ones;t
The Lordss did thist insts my midst.
He summoned an assemblyt against me
to shatter my young men.
The Lord has stomped like grapest
the virgin daughter, Judah.s

ע (Ayin)

16 I weep because of these things;
my eyesst flow with tears.t
For there is no one in sight who can comfort met
or encourage me.t
My childrent are desolatedt
because an enemy has prevailed.

The Prophet Speaks:

פ (Pe)

17 Zion spread out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has issued a decree against Jacob;
his neighborst have become his enemies.
Jerusalem has become
like filthy garbaget in their midst.sts

Jerusalem Speaks:

צ (Tsade)

18 The Lord is right to judge me!t
Yes, I rebelled against his commands.t
Please listen, all you nations,st
and look at my suffering!
My young women and men
have gone into exile.

ק (Qof)

19 I called for my lovers,s
but they had deceived me.
My priests and my elders
perished in the city.
Truly they hadt searched for food
tot keep themselvest alive.s

ר (Resh)

20 Look, O Lord! I am distressed;t
my stomach is in knots!t
My heart is poundingt inside me.
Yes, I was terribly rebellious!t
Out in the street the sword bereaves a mother of her children;t
Inside the house death is present.t

ש (Sin/Shin)

21 They have heards that I groan,
yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that yout have brought it about.t
Bring aboutt the day of judgmentt that you promisedt
so thatt they may end upt like me!

ת (Tav)

22 Let all their wickedness come before you;
afflictt them
just as you have afflictedt met
because of all my acts of rebellion.t
For my groans are many,
and my heart is sick with sorrow.t