1
a[Jer. 7:34] How lonely sits the city
that was full of people!
How likeb[Jer. 15:8] a widow has she become,
she who was great among the nations!
She who wasc[ch. 5:16; Ezra 4:20; Eccles. 2:8] a princess among the provinces
has becomedIsa. 31:8 a slave.
2 ePs. 6:6; Jer. 9:1; 13:17 She weeps bitterly in the night,
with tears on her cheeks;
fver. 19; Jer. 22:22; 30:14 among all her lovers
she hasgver. 9, 16, 17, 21; Eccles. 4:1 none to comfort her;
hSee Ezek. 23:22-26 all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
they have become her enemies.
3 iJer. 52:27 Judah has gone into exile because of affliction
and hard servitude;
j[ch. 2:9; Deut. 28:64, 65] she dwells now among the nations,
kJer. 45:3 but finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.1Or in the narrow passes
4 The roads to Zion mourn,
for none come tolSee ch. 2:6 the festival;
mJer. 14:2 all her gates are desolate;
her priestsnver. 8, 11, 21, 22 groan;
her virgins have been afflicted,
and she herself suffers bitterly.
5 o[Deut. 28:13, 44; Jer. 13:21] Her foes have become the head;
herpJer. 12:1 enemies prosper,
becauseqver. 12; ch. 3:33 the Lord has afflicted her
rJer. 30:14, 15; Dan. 9:16 for the multitude of her transgressions;
s2 Chr. 36:17, 20; See Jer. 52:28-30 her children have gone away,
captives before the foe.
6 From the daughter of Zion
all her majesty has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
t[Jer. 14:6] that find no pasture;
they fled without strength
before the pursuer.
7 Jerusalem remembers
in the days of her affliction and wandering
uver. 10, 11 all the precious things
that were hers fromvch. 2:17; Jer. 46:26 days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the foe,
and there was none to help her,
her foes gloated over her;
theywObad. 12, 13; [Ps. 119:51] mocked at her downfall.
8 x[Zech. 13:1] Jerusalem sinned grievously;
therefore she became filthy;
all who honored her despise her,
y[Ezek. 16:37] for they have seen her nakedness;
she herselfzver. 4, 21, 22 groans
and turns her face away.
9 Her uncleanness wasa[Jer. 13:22] in her skirts;
b[Deut. 32:29; Isa. 47:7] she took no thought of her future;1Or end
therefore her fall is terrible;
cver. 2 she has no comforter.
“O Lord, behold my affliction,
for the enemy hasdJer. 48:26 triumphed! ”
10 The enemy has stretched out his hands
over all herever. 7 precious things;
for she has seenfPs. 79:1; Jer. 51:51 the nations
enter her sanctuary,
those whom youg[Deut. 23:3; Neh. 13:1] forbade
to enter your congregation.
11 All her peoplez[See ver. 8 above] groan
ashch. 2:12; 4:4; [Jer. 38:9; 52:6] they search for bread;
they trade theire[See ver. 10 above] treasures foriver. 19 food
to revive their strength.
“Look, O Lord, and see,
for I am despised. ”
12 “Is it nothing to you, alljJob 21:29; Ps. 80:12 you who pass by?
k[Dan. 9:12] Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
which was brought upon me,
whichlver. 5 the Lord inflicted
onmSee Jer. 12:13 the day of his fierce anger.
13 From on high henPs. 102:3 sent fire;
into my bones he made it descend;
oPs. 9:15; Ezek. 12:13; 17:20 he spread a net for my feet;
he turned me back;
pch. 3:11; See Jer. 8:18 he has left me stunned,
faint all the day long.
14 My transgressions were bound intoqDeut. 28:48 a yoke;
by his hand they were fastened together;
they were set upon my neck;
he caused my strength to fail;
the Lord gave me into the hands
of those whom I cannot withstand.
15 The Lord rejected
all my mighty men in my midst;
he summoned an assembly against me
to crush my young men;
r[Isa. 63:2, 3] the Lord has trodden as in a winepress
the virgin daughter of Judah.
16 For these thingssSee Jer. 13:17 I weep;
my eyes flow with tears;
fortver. 2, 21 a comforter is far from me,
one tou[ver. 11] revive my spirit;
my children are desolate,
for the enemy has prevailed. ”
17 vIsa. 1:15; Jer. 4:31 Zion stretches out her hands,
butt[See ver. 16 above] there is none to comfort her;
the Lord has commanded against Jacob
that his neighbors should be his foes;
Jerusalem has become
a filthy thing among them.
18 wSee Jer. 12:1 “The Lord is in the right,
x1 Sam. 12:14, 15 for I have rebelled against his word;
but hear, all you peoples,
and see my suffering;
y[Deut. 28:41] my young women and my young men
have gone into captivity.
19 I called tozSee ver. 2 my lovers,
but they deceived me;
my priests and elders
perished in the city,
whileaver. 11 they sought food
to revive their strength.
20 Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
bch. 2:11; Job 30:27; Isa. 16:11 my stomach churns;
my heart is wrung within me,
because I have been very rebellious.
cDeut. 32:25; Ezek. 7:15; See Jer. 15:2 In the street the sword bereaves;
in the house it is like death.
21 They hearddver. 4, 8, 11 my groaning,
yetever. 2, 16, 17 there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
f[ch. 4:21; Jer. 50:11] they are glad that you have done it.
You have brought the day you announced;
f[ch. 4:21; Jer. 50:11] now let them be as I am.
22 gPs. 109:14, 15 Let all their evildoing come before you,
and deal with them
ashver. 12; ch. 2:20 you have dealt with me
because of all my transgressions;
ford[See ver. 21 above] my groans are many,
andiSee Jer. 8:18 my heart is faint. ”