a¹ 1:1² Alas!³

The city once full of people⁴
now sits all alone!⁵
She who was once prominent⁶ among the nations
has become a widow!⁷
The princess⁸ who once ruled over the provinces⁹
has become¹⁰ a forced laborer!¹¹

b 1:2 She weeps bitterly at night,

tears stream down her cheeks.¹²
There is no one to comfort her
among all her former lovers.¹³
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
they have become her enemies.

g 1:3 The people of Judah¹⁴ have gone into exile under¹⁵ affliction,

and under¹⁶ harsh oppression.¹⁷
They¹⁸ now live in other nations,
but find no rest;
All who pursued them¹⁹ have overtaken them²⁰
in²¹ narrow straits.²²

d 1:4 The roads leading to Zion²³ are in mourning,²⁴

because no one²⁵ travels down their paths²⁶ to celebrate²⁷ the festivals.²⁸
All her city-gates²⁹ are deserted,³⁰
her priests groan in grief.³¹
Her virgins are filled with sorrow,³²
Jerusalem³³ is in bitter anguish.³⁴

h 1:5 Her foes subjugated her;³⁵

her enemies plundered³⁶ her possessions.³⁷
For the LORD afflicted her,
because of her many acts of rebellion.³⁸
Her children were driven away³⁹
as prisoners⁴⁰ before the enemy.

w 1:6 Everything in which she had gloried⁴¹

has been taken away⁴² from⁴³ Zion.⁴⁴
Her leaders were like deer
who could not find any hiding place;⁴⁵
They were too exhausted to flee⁴⁶
from the hunter.⁴⁷

z 1:7 Jerusalem remembers⁴⁸

when⁴⁹ she became a poor homeless person.⁵⁰
All the treasures, possessions that
belonged to her in days of old.⁵¹
When her people fell into the grasp⁵² of the enemy,
none of her allies came to her rescue.⁵³
Her enemies⁵⁴ gloat over⁵⁵ her;
they laughed contemptuously⁵⁶ at her downfall.⁵⁷

j 1:8 Jerusalem has committed heinous sin;⁵⁸

therefore, she has become an object of scorn.⁵⁹
All who once respected her now despise her,⁶⁰
because they have seen her nakedness.⁶¹
She herself groans aloud,⁶²
and turns away in shame.⁶³

f 1:9 Her menstrual filth⁶⁴ has soiled⁶⁵ her own clothing;⁶⁶

she did not consider⁶⁷ the consequences of her sin.⁶⁸
Her demise⁶⁹ occurred in an astonishing way,⁷⁰
and there was no one to comfort her.
She cried,⁷¹ “Look, O LORD, upon my⁷² affliction,
because my⁷³ enemy boasts!”

y 1:10 The enemy seized⁷⁴

all her valuable possessions.⁷⁵
She watched in horror⁷⁶ as Gentiles invaded her holy temple,⁷⁷
whom you had forbidden: “They may not enter your assembly-place.”⁷⁸

k 1:11 All her former inhabitants⁷⁹ groan,

as they search for a morsel of bread.⁸⁰
They are forced to sell⁸¹ their prized possessions,⁸²
just to purchase⁸³ enough food to keep themselves alive.⁸⁴

Look, O LORD!
Consider that I have become worthless!

l 1:12 O you who pass by on the road,

is it nothing to you?
Consider and see:
Is there any pain like my pain?!?
The LORD⁸⁵ brought it upon me;
he⁸⁶ inflicted it on me when⁸⁷ he burned with anger.⁸⁸

m 1:13 He sent down⁸⁹ fierce⁹⁰ fire into my bones,

and it prevailed⁹¹ against them.
He stretched a trapper’s net⁹² to ensnare⁹³ my feet;
he made me turn back.
He made me desolate,
sick all day long.

n 1:14 My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke,⁹⁴

they are lashed tight together⁹⁵ by his hand.
He has placed his yoke⁹⁶ upon my neck;⁹⁷
he has made me weak.⁹⁸
The LORD⁹⁹ has handed me over¹⁰⁰
to those whom I am powerless to resist.

s 1:15 The LORD has hurled¹⁰¹ all my valiant warriors

out of ¹⁰² my midst.
He summoned a legal assembly¹⁰³ against me
to crush my young warriors.
As in a wine press,¹⁰⁴ the LORD has trampled down
the virgin daughter of Judah.¹⁰⁵

u 1:16 I weep on account of these things;

my eyes¹⁰⁶ flow with tears.¹⁰⁷
For there is no one to comfort me anywhere near,¹⁰⁸
no one who could encourage me.¹⁰⁹
My inhabitants¹¹⁰ are desolated¹¹¹
because the enemy has prevailed.

p 1:17 Zion spread out her hands,

but there is no one to comfort her.
The LORD has issued a decree against Jacob:
the nations that surround him¹¹² will become his enemies.
They treat Jerusalem¹¹³
like filthy garbage¹¹⁴ in their midst.¹¹⁵

x 1:18 The LORD is right to judge me!¹¹⁶

For I rebelled against his commands.¹¹⁷
Listen, all you peoples,¹¹⁸
and behold my suffering!
My young men and women
have been taken prisoner into exile.¹¹⁹

q 1:19 I called for my lovers,¹²⁰

but they deceived me.
My priests and my elders died of hunger in the city,
while¹²¹ searching for food that¹²² might have kept them¹²³ alive.¹²⁴

r 1:20 Look, O LORD, because I am in distress,¹²⁵

my stomach is in knots!¹²⁶
My heart is turning over¹²⁷ inside me,
because I know how terribly rebellious I had been!¹²⁸
In the street the sword bereaves a mother of her children;¹²⁹
the rest die of hunger inside their homes.¹³⁰

? 1:21 They have heard¹³¹ that I groan;

yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that you¹³² have brought it about.¹³³
May you bring about¹³⁴ the time of judgment¹³⁵ that you promised,¹³⁶
so that¹³⁷ they may be judged¹³⁸ like me!

t 1:22 Let all their wickedness come before you;

may you deal with them,
just as you have dealt with me,¹³⁹
because of all my acts of rebellion.¹⁴⁰
For my groans are many,
and my heart is full of sorrow.¹⁴¹