Lamentations 1
1 How desolate sits the city of Jerusalem, once filled with people! She has become like a widow, she who was once great among the nations. The queen of all the world has become a slave-laborer.
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, How is she become tributary!
2 She cries bitterly through the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite all her many lovers, no one comes to comfort her. Betrayed by all her friends, they are now her enemies.
She weepeth bitterly in the night; tears are upon her cheeks; Among all her lovers she hath no comforter; All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.
3 Judah has been dragged off into captivity, suffering miserably under brutal slavery; she lives among the nations but has no place of her own where she can rest. Those chasing her have brought her down and she cannot escape.
Judah goeth into exile, because of affliction and because of great servitude; She dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest; All her pursuers overtake her in the straits.
4 Even the roads to Zion are in mourning because no one travels on them to go to the religious festivals. All her gates are empty. Her priests groan in sadness. Her girls are suffering. She herself is in bitter distress.
The ways to Zion mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts; All her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, Her virgins wail, and she is in bitterness.
5 Those who hated her now control her; her enemies enjoy life, because the Lord has made her suffer due to all her sins of rebellion. Her children have been taken away as prisoners of the enemy.
Her adversaries have become the head; her enemies prosper; For Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; Her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.
6 All the glory has left the Daughter of Zion. Her leaders are like deer that can't find any grass to eat. They don't even have the strength to run away when the hunter comes after them!
From the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed; Her princes are become like harts, that find no pasture; Without strength, they flee before the pursuer.
7 As she wanders around in her misery, Jerusalem thinks back to all the wonderful things she once had in the old days. When her enemies conquered her people, she didn't receive any help. Her enemies gloated over her, and laughed at her downfall.
Jerusalem remembereth, in the days of her affliction and of her oppression, All her pleasant things, which she had in the days of old, When her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and she had no helper; Her adversaries saw her, and mocked at her destruction.
8 Jerusalem sinned terribly which is why she is now treated as someone unclean. Everyone who used to honor her now despise her, because they've seen her naked and ashamed. She herself groans as she turns away.
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore is she become vile; All that honored her despise her, because they have seen her shame; She sigheth, and turneth backward.
9 Her uncleanness contaminates her skirts. She didn't think about what would happen. Her fall was a shock, and no one was there to comfort her. “Please, Lord, see how much I'm suffering, because the enemy has won!” she says.
Her filthiness is upon her skirts; She thought not of her end, therefore is she brought down wonderfully; she hath no comforter. “Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction, for the enemy doth triumph!”
10 The invader has stolen all her treasures. She even had to watch as heathen nations went into her sanctuary, people you had forbidden to enter.
The adversary spreadeth his hands over all her pleasant things; Yea, she seeth the nations enter into her sanctuary, Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into her congregation.
11 All her people groan, looking for bread. They have spent what they value the most to buy food so they can stay alive. “Please, Lord, look and see what's happening to me,” she says. “It's as if I'm worthless!
All her people sigh; they seek bread; They give their precious things for bread to sustain life. “Behold, O Jehovah, and consider, how I am become vile!”
12 Don't you care anything about it, all you people passing by? Take a look and see! Is there any suffering as bad as mine, punished by the Lord when he became angry?
“Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see, if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow, which is brought upon me, With which Jehovah hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger!
13 He sent down fire from heaven that destroyed my bones. He spread out a net to catch my feet, tripping me over. He abandoned me, leaving me sick all day long.
“From on high hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevailed against them: He hath spread a net for my feet; he hath turned me back; He hath made me desolate, faint all the day long.
14 He took my rebellious sins and twisted them together into a yoke that he tied to my neck. He took away all my strength, and handed me over defenseless to my enemies.
“The yoke of my transgressions is fastened in his hand; they are twisted together; They are laid upon my neck; he hath made my strength to fall; The Lord hath delivered me into their hands, against whom I cannot stand.
15 The Lord brushed aside all my strong soldiers defending me. He called up an army to attack me, to crush my young men. The Lord has trampled down the virgin Daughter of Judah like grapes in a winepress.
“The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men; The Lord hath trodden down the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a wine-vat.
16 This is why I'm weeping, tears flowing from my eyes, because there's is no one here to comfort me, no one to make me feel better. There's nothing left for my children because the enemy has conquered us.”
“For these things do I weep; mine eye runneth down with water; For far from me are they that should comfort me, that should restore my strength; My children have perished, because the enemy prevailed.”
17 Zion holds out her hands in distress, but there's no one to comfort her. The Lord issued orders against Jacob, and his neighbors became his enemies. Jerusalem is to them something disgusting.
Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her; Jehovah hath given command against Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him; Jerusalem is become an abhorrence among them.
18 “The Lord has done what's right, because I rebelled against his instructions. Listen, everyone everywhere; look at what I'm suffering. My young women and young men have been taken off into captivity.
“Righteous is Jehovah, for I have disobeyed his commandment; Hear, I pray you, all ye nations, and behold my sorrow! My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
19 I called out for help to my lovers, but they betrayed me. My priests and elders starved to death in the city as they tried to find food to keep themselves alive.
“I called upon my lovers, but they have proved false to me; My priests and my elders have expired in the city, While they sought for food to sustain their lives.
20 Can't you see, Lord, how upset I am? inside I am in turmoil; my heart is breaking because I've been so rebellious. Outside, the sword kills those I love; inside, it's like I'm living in the house of death.
“Behold, O Jehovah, how I am distressed! my bowels boil, My heart turneth itself within me; for I have grievously rebelled. Abroad the sword bereaveth; at home, Death.
21 People hear me groaning, but no one comes to comfort me. All my enemies have heard about the bad things that have happened to me, and they're delighted that it was you who did it. Please bring about the day of judgment that you promised so they can end up like me.
“They hear how I sigh, yet none comforteth me; mine enemies have heard of my calamity; they rejoice that thou hast done it. O bring the day which thou hast appointed, that they shall be like me!
22 May you see all the evil things they've done! Treat them the same way as you've treated me as a result of all my rebellious sins, for I'm groaning all the time, and I'm sick at heart.”
“Let all their wickedness come before thee, deal thou with them as thou hast dealt with me for all my transgressions! For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.”
