1 How she sits alone, the city that was full of people! She has become like a widow, she who was great among the nations; a princess among the provinces has become a slave at forced labor.
2 Bitterly she weeps in the night, her tears upon her cheek; she has no comforter among all who loved her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have turned into her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into exile out of affliction and great servitude; she lives among the nations and finds no resting place; all who chase her have caught up with her between the straits.
4 The roads of Zion are in mourning, for none come to the festival; all her gates are ruined; her priests sigh; her young women are afflicted, and as for her, it is bitter to her.
5 Her foes have become her masters; her enemies prosper; for the LORD has made her grieve over the abundance of her rebellions; her little ones have gone into captivity before the foe.
6 And from the daughter of Zion all her glory has gone out; her officials have become like stags that find no pasture; they have walked without strength before the pursuer.
7 Jerusalem remembers, in the days of her affliction and her homelessness, all her treasures that were hers from days of old; when her people fell into the hand of the foe and no one helped her, the foes looked at her; they mocked at her downfall.
8 Jerusalem has sinned a sin; that is why she has become a filthy thing; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her back.
9 Her filthiness is in her skirts; she gave no thought to her end; so she has come down in an astonishing way, with no one to comfort her. "Look, O LORD, at my affliction, for the enemy has made himself great!"
10 The foe has stretched out his hand over all her treasures; for she has seen nations come into her sanctuary, those you commanded not to enter your assembly.
11 All her people are groaning, searching for bread; they have given their treasures for food to bring back the soul. "Look, O LORD, and see how despised I have become!"
12 "Does it mean nothing to you, all you who pass by on the road? Look and see if there is any pain like my pain that was inflicted on me, which the LORD brought upon me in the day of his burning anger.
13 "From on high he sent fire; into my bones he made it go down; he spread a net for my feet and turned me back; he made me desolate, sick all day long.
14 "The yoke of my rebellions is bound fast; by his hand they are woven together; they have come up onto my neck; he has made my strength stumble. The Lord has given me into hands I cannot rise up against.
15 "The Lord has thrown aside all my mighty men in my midst; he called an assembly against me to shatter my young men; the Lord has trodden the winepress of the virgin daughter of Judah.
16 "For these things I am weeping; my eye, my eye streams with water; for far from me is a comforter who could restore my soul. My children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed."
17 Zion spreads out her hands; there is none to comfort her. The LORD has commanded against Jacob that his neighbors be his foes; Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them.
18 "The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his mouth. Hear, all you peoples, and see my pain: my young women and my young men have gone into captivity.
19 "I called to my lovers; they betrayed me. My priests and my elders breathed their last in the city as they searched for food for themselves to bring back their soul.
20 "Look, O LORD, for I am in distress; my bowels are in turmoil; my heart is turned over within me, for I have been very rebellious. Outside the sword bereaves; inside, it is like death.
21 "They have heard how I groan, with no one to comfort me; all my enemies have heard of my calamity; they rejoice that you have done it. You will bring the day you have announced, and they will be like me.
22 "Let all their evil come before you, and deal with them as you have dealt with me for all my rebellions; for many are my groans, and my heart is sick."