Lamentations 1

1 [ALEPH-BET] How she has sat alone, The city abounding with people! She has been as a widow, The mighty among nations! Princes among provinces, She has become tributary!

How the city sits solitary, that was full of people! She has become as a widow, who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become tributary!

2 She weeps severely in the night, And her tear [is] on her cheeks, There is no comforter for her out of all her lovers, All her friends dealt treacherously by her, They have been to her for enemies.

She weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. Among all her loved ones she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies.

3 Removed has Judah because of affliction, And because of the abundance of her service; She has dwelt among nations, She has not found rest, All her pursuers have overtaken her between the straits.

Judah has gone into captivity because of affliction. And because of great servitude she dwells among the nations. She finds no rest. All her persecutors overtook her in the distress.

4 The ways of Zion are mourning, Without any coming at the appointed time, All her gates are desolate, her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted—and she has bitterness.

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

5 Her adversaries have become chief, Her enemies have been at ease, For YHWH has afflicted her, For the abundance of her transgressions, Her infants have gone captive before the adversary.

Her adversaries have become the head. Her enemies prosper. For Jehovah has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions. Her young sons have gone into captivity before the adversary.

6 And all her honor goes out from the daughter of Zion, Her princes have been as harts—They have not found pasture, And they go powerless before a pursuer.

And from the daughter of Zion all her majesty is departed. Her rulers have become like harts that find no pasture. And they have gone without strength before the pursuer.

7 Jerusalem has remembered [In] the days of her affliction and her mournings, all her desirable things that were from the days of old, In the falling of her people into the hand of an adversary, And she has no helper; Adversaries have seen her, They have laughed at her cessation.

Jerusalem remembers 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 helped her, the adversaries saw her; they mocked at her desolations.

8 A sin has Jerusalem sinned, Therefore she has become impure, All who honored her have esteemed her lightly, For they have seen her nakedness, Indeed, she herself has sighed and turns backward.

Jerusalem has grievously sinned, therefore she has become as an unclean thing. All who honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness. Yea, she sighs, and turns backward.

9 Her uncleanness [is] in her skirts, She has not remembered her latter end, And she comes down wonderfully, There is no comforter for her. See, O YHWH, my affliction, For an enemy has exerted himself.

Her filthiness was in her skirts. She did not think of her latter end. Therefore she has come down astonishingly. She has no comforter. Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself.

10 His hand has spread out an adversary On all her desirable things, For she has seen—Nations have entered her sanctuary, Concerning which You commanded, “They do not come into the assembly to you.”

The adversary has spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things. For she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom thou commanded that they should not enter into thine assembly.

11 All her people are sighing—seeking bread, They have given their desirable things For food to refresh the body; See, O YHWH, and behold attentively, For I have been lightly esteemed.

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 have become abject.

12 [Is it] nothing to you, all you passing by the way? Look attentively, and see, If there is any pain like my pain, That He is rolling to me? Whom YHWH has afflicted In the day of the fierceness of His anger.

Is it nothing to you, all ye who pass by? Behold, and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which is brought upon me. Therewith Jehovah has afflicted in the day of his fierce anger.

13 From above He has sent fire into my bone, And it subdues it, He has spread a net for my feet, He has turned me backward, He has made me desolate—all the day sick.

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

14 Bound has been the yoke of my transgressions by His hand, They are wrapped together, They have gone up on my neck, He has caused my power to stumble, The Lord has given me into hands, I am not able to rise.

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

15 The Lord has trodden down all my mighty ones in my midst, He proclaimed an appointed time against me, To destroy my young men, The Lord has trodden a winepress, To the virgin daughter of Judah.

The Lord has trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me. He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men. The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah as in a winepress.

16 For these I am weeping, My eye, my eye, is running down with waters, For a comforter has been far from me, Refreshing my soul, My sons have been desolate, For mighty has been an enemy.

For these things I weep. My eye, my eye runs down with water, because the comforter who should refresh my soul is far from me. My sons are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.

17 Zion has spread forth her hands, There is no comforter for her, YHWH has charged concerning Jacob, His neighbors [are] his adversaries, Jerusalem has become impure among them.

Zion spreads forth her hands. There is none to comfort her. Jehovah has commanded concerning Jacob, that those who are round about him should be his adversaries. Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.

18 YHWH is righteous, For I have provoked His mouth. Now hear, all you peoples, and see my pain, My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

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 have gone into captivity.

19 I called for my lovers, they have deceived me, My priests and my elderly have expired in the city; When they have sought food for themselves, Then they give back their soul.

I called for my loved ones, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders gave up the spirit in the city, while they sought food for themselves to refresh their souls.

20 See, O YHWH, for distress [is] to me, My bowels have been troubled, My heart has been turned in my midst, For I have greatly provoked, From outside the sword has bereaved, In the house [it is] as death.

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 bereaves; at home there is as death.

21 They have heard that I have sighed, There is no comforter for me, All my enemies have heard of my calamity, They have rejoiced that You have done [it], You have brought in the day You have called, And they are like to me.

They have heard that I sigh. There is none to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble. They are glad that thou have done it. Thou will bring the day that thou have proclaimed, and they shall be like me.

22 All their evil comes in before You, And one is doing to them as You have done to me, For all my transgressions, For many [are] my sighs, and my heart [is] sick!

Let all their wickedness come before thee, and do to them, as thou have done to me for all my transgressions. For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.