1How lonely she sits, the city once great with people! She has become like a widow, she who was great among the nations. The princess among the provinces has become a slave laborer.
2Bitterly she weeps in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. She has no comforter among all her lovers; all her friends have betrayed her, they have become her enemies.
3Judah has gone into exile out of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells among the nations but has found no resting place. All her pursuers overtook her in the midst of her distress.
4The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the appointed feast. All her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young women grieve, and she herself is bitter.
5Her foes have become the head, her enemies are at ease; for Yahweh has made her grieve because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her little children have gone into captivity before the foe.
6And from the daughter of Zion has departed all her splendor. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer.
7Jerusalem remembers the days of her affliction and her wanderings, all her precious things that were from days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe and there was no one to help her, the foes looked on her; they mocked at her downfall.
8Jerusalem has sinned grievously; therefore she has become an object of scorn. All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away.
9Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she gave no thought to her end. So she has come down astonishingly, with no one to comfort her. “Look, Yahweh, at my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself!”
10The foe has spread out his hand over all her precious things; indeed, she has seen nations enter her sanctuary — those whom you commanded should not enter your assembly.
11All her people groan, seeking bread; they have given their precious things for food to keep themselves alive. “Look, Yahweh, and see, for I have become despised.”
12Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by the road? Look and see if there is any pain like my pain, which was dealt out to me, which Yahweh inflicted in the day of his fierce anger.
13From on high he sent fire into my bones, and it mastered them. He spread a net for my feet; he turned me back. He made me desolate, faint all the day long.
14The yoke of my transgressions was bound fast; by his hand they are woven together. They have come up upon my neck; he has made my strength stumble. The Lord has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand.
15The Lord has cast aside all my mighty men in my midst; he has called an appointed time against me to crush my young men. The Lord has trodden the winepress against the virgin daughter of Judah.
16For these things I weep; my eye, my eye runs down with water, for a comforter is far from me, one to restore my life. My children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.
17Zion spreads out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. Yahweh has commanded concerning Jacob that those around him should be his foes; Jerusalem has become an object of scorn among them.
18Righteous is Yahweh, for I have rebelled against his mouth. Hear now, all you peoples, and see my pain: my young women and my young men have gone into captivity.
19I called to my lovers, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they sought food for themselves to keep themselves alive.
20See, Yahweh, that I am in distress! My inward parts churn, my heart is turned over within me, for I have grievously rebelled. Outside the sword bereaves; inside it is like death.
21They have heard that I groan, with no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my disaster; they rejoice that you have done it. Bring on the day you have proclaimed, that they may become like me!
22Let all their evil come before you, and deal with them as you have dealt with me for all my transgressions; for my groans are many, and my heart is faint.
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