Book of Lamentations, Chapter 1
Chapter 1 of Lamentations
That was 2full of people!
She has become like a 3widow
Who was once 4great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the [a]provinces
Has become a 5forced laborer!
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has none to comfort her
Among all her 7lovers.
All her friends have 8dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
And [c]under [d]harsh servitude;
She dwells 10among the nations,
But she has found no rest;
All 11her pursuers have overtaken her
In the midst of [e]distress.
Because 12no one comes to the appointed feasts.
All her gates are 13desolate;
Her priests are groaning,
Her 14virgins are afflicted,
And she herself [g]is 15bitter.
Her enemies [i]prosper;
For the LORD has 16caused her grief
Because of the multitude of her transgressions;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives before the adversary.
Has departed from the daughter of Zion;
Her princes have become like deer
That have found no pasture;
And they have [j]18fled without strength
Before the pursuer.
19Jerusalem remembers all her precious things
That were from the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And 20no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They 21mocked at her [k]ruin.
Therefore 23she has become an unclean thing.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even 24she herself groans and turns away.
She [l]did not consider her 26future.
Therefore she has [m]27fallen astonishingly;
28She has no comforter.
“29See, O LORD, my affliction,
For the enemy has 30magnified himself!”
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the 31nations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they should 32not enter into Your congregation.
They have given their precious things for food
To 34restore their [n]lives themselves.
“See, O LORD, and look,
For I am 35despised.”
Look and see if there is any [o]pain like my [p]pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the 37LORD inflicted on the day of His 38fierce anger.
And it [q]prevailed over them.
He has spread a 40net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me 41desolate,
[r]Faint all day long.
By His hand they are knit together.
They have 43come upon my neck;
He has made my strength [s]fail.
The Lord 44has given me into the hands
Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
In my midst;
He has called an appointed [t]time against me
To crush my 46young men;
The Lord has 47trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
[u]My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a 49comforter,
One who restores my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
There is no one to comfort her;
The LORD has 51commanded concerning Jacob
That the ones round about him should be his adversaries;
52Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
For I have 54rebelled against His [v]command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And 55behold my [w]pain;
56My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
My 58priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to 59restore [x]their strength themselves.
My [y]60spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very 61rebellious.
In the street the sword [z]slays;
In the house it is like death.
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of my [aa]calamity;
They are 63glad that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
That they may become 64like me.
And 65deal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”FOOTNOTES
REFERENCES
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