Lamentations
1
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 weepeth sore in the night,And her tears are on her cheeks:Among all her loversShe 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 heathen,She findeth no rest:All her persecutors overtook herBetween the straits.
4
The ways of Zion do mourn,Because none come to the solemn feasts:All her gates are desolate:Her priests sigh,Her virgins are afflicted,And she is in bitterness.
5
Her adversaries are the chief,Her enemies prosper;For the LORD hath afflicted herFor the multitude of her transgressions:Her children are goneInto captivity before the enemy.
6
And from the daughter of ZionAll her beauty is departed:Her princes are become like hartsThat find no pasture,And they are gone without strengthBefore the pursuer.
7
Jerusalem rememberedIn the days of her affliction and of her miseriesAll her pleasant thingsThat she had in the days of old,When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,And none did help her:The adversaries saw her,And did mock at her sabbaths.
8
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned;Therefore she is removed:All that honoured her despise her,Because they have seen her nakedness:Yea, she sigheth,And turneth backward.
9
Her filthiness is in her skirts;She remembereth not her last end;Therefore she came down wonderfully:She had no comforter.O LORD, behold my affliction:For the enemy hath magnified himself.
10
The adversary hath spread out his handUpon all her pleasant things:For she hath seen that the heathenEntered into her sanctuary,Whom thou didst commandThat they should not enter into thy congregation.
11
All her people sigh,They seek bread;They have given their pleasant thingsFor meat to relieve the soul:See, O LORD, and consider;For I am become vile.
12
Is it nothing to you,All ye that pass by?Behold, and see if there be any sorrowLike unto my sorrow, which is done unto me,Wherewith the LORD hath afflictedMe in the day of his fierce anger.
13
From above 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 desolateAnd faint all the day.
14
The yoke of my transgressions is boundBy his hand:They are wreathed, and come up upon my neck:He hath made my strength to fall,The Lord hath delivered me into their hands,From whom I am not able to rise up.
15
The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty menIn the midst of me:He hath called an assembly against meTo crush my young men:The Lord hath trodden the virgin,The daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.
16
For these things I weep;Mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water,Because the comforter that should relieve mySoul is far from me:My children are desolate,Because the enemy prevailed.
17
Zion spreadeth forth her hands,And there is none to comfort her:The LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob,That his adversaries should be round about him:Jerusalem is asA menstruous woman among them.
18
The LORD is righteous;For I have rebelled against his commandment:Hear, I pray you, all people,And behold my sorrow:My virgins and my young menAre gone into captivity.
19
I called for my lovers,But they deceived me:My priests and mine eldersGave up the ghost in the city,While they sought their meatTo relieve their souls.
20
Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress:My bowels are troubled;Mine 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 called,And they shall be like unto me.
22
Let all their wickedness come before thee;And do unto them,As thou hast done unto meFor all my transgressions:For my sighs are many,And my heart is faint.