Lamentations

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!

1Look how empty the city sits. It used to be crowded with people. Now she is like a widow. She was great among the nations and ruled over whole regions. Now she is a slave.

2She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

2She cries hard all night, and her cheeks are wet with tears. Of all the ones who claimed to love her, not one comforts her. Every friend has betrayed her. They are her enemies now.

3Judah 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 her between the straits.

3The people of Judah have been carried away. They suffered, and they were worked like slaves. They live among other nations and find no place to rest. Everyone chasing them caught them when they had nowhere to turn.

Note"Between the straits" means caught in a tight place with no way out.

4The 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.

4The roads to Zion are sad, because nobody comes to the holy feasts anymore. All her gates stand empty. Her priests groan, her young women grieve, and the city herself is full of pain.

5Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

5Her enemies are in charge now, and things go well for them. The LORD brought this trouble on her because she sinned so much. Her children were marched off as prisoners by the enemy.

6And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

6Everything lovely about the daughter of Zion is gone. Her leaders are like deer that can find no grass to eat. They had no strength left to run from the hunter.

7Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that 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.

7In her days of pain and homelessness, Jerusalem remembers all the good things she once had. When her people fell into enemy hands, no one came to help her. Her enemies watched her and laughed at her ruin.

8Jerusalem 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.

8Jerusalem sinned badly, so now people look down on her. Everyone who once honored her hates her, because they have seen her shame. She groans and turns her face away.

9Her 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.

9The stains of her sin were on her own clothes. She never thought about how this would end. Her fall was shocking, and no one comforted her. "LORD, look at how I suffer. The enemy has won."

10The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

10The enemy grabbed everything valuable she had. She watched foreign nations walk into her holy temple, the very people you had said must never come into your gathering.

11All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.

11All her people groan as they hunt for bread. They trade their treasures for food just to stay alive. "Look, LORD, and see. People treat me as worthless."

12Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

12"Does this mean nothing to you who walk past? Look around and see. Is any sorrow like mine? The LORD did this to me on the day of his burning anger."

13From 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 desolate and faint all the day.

13"He sent fire down from above, and it burned deep into my bones. He set a trap for my feet and turned me back. He left me empty and weak all day long."

14The yoke of my transgressions is bound by 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.

14"My sins are tied together like a heavy wooden yoke, knotted by his own hand and laid across my neck. The Lord has broken my strength. He handed me over to people I cannot fight."

15The 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 the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

15"The Lord threw aside every strong soldier inside my walls. He called an army to crush my young men. He trampled the young daughter of Judah like grapes in a winepress."

16For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

16"That is why I cry. My eyes pour out tears. No one is near to comfort me or lift my spirits. My children have nothing, because the enemy won."

17Zion 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 as a menstruous woman among them.

17Zion reaches out her hands, and no one comforts her. The LORD has ordered that Jacob's neighbors become his enemies. To them, Jerusalem is something filthy.

18The 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 men are gone into captivity.

18"The LORD is right in what he did, because I disobeyed his command. Please listen, all you people, and look at my pain. My young women and young men have been taken away."

19I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

19"I called for the ones who claimed to love me, but they lied to me. My priests and my leaders died in the city while they searched for food to stay alive."

20Behold, 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.

20"Look at me, LORD. I am in deep trouble. My insides churn and my heart pounds, because I rebelled so badly. Outside, the sword kills. Inside, there is only death."

21They 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.

21"People have heard me groan, but no one comforts me. All my enemies heard about my trouble, and they are glad you caused it. Bring the day you promised, so they become like me."

22Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

22"Bring all their evil in front of you. Do to them what you have done to me for all my sins. My groans are many, and my heart is weak."