The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Lamentations of Jeremiah 01
1 How the city sits solitary,
that was full of people!
She has become as a widow,
who was great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the
provinces has become a slave!
2 She weeps bitterly in the night.
Her tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her.
They have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into captivity because of
affliction and because of great servitude.
She dwells among the nations.
She finds no rest. All her persecutors
overtook her in her distress.
4 The roads to Zion mourn,
because no one comes to the solemn
assembly. All her gates are desolate.
Her priests sigh. Her virgins are afflicted,
and she herself is in bitterness.
5 Her adversaries have become the head.
Her enemies prosper; for Yahweh† has afflicted
her for the multitude of her transgressions.
Her young children have gone into
captivity before the adversary.
6 All majesty has departed from the daughter of Zion.
Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture.
They have gone without strength before the pursuer.
7 Jerusalem remembers in the days of her
affliction and of her miseries
all her pleasant things that were from
the days of old; when her people fell
into the hand of the adversary,
and no one helped her. The adversaries saw her.
They mocked at her desolations.
8 Jerusalem has grievously sinned.
Therefore she has become unclean.
All who honored her despise her,
because they have seen her nakedness.
Yes, she sighs and turns backward.
9 Her filthiness was in her skirts.
She didn’t remember her latter end.
Therefore she has come down astoundingly.
She has no comforter. “See, Yahweh, my affliction;
for the enemy has magnified himself.”
10 The adversary has spread out his hand
on all her pleasant things;
for she has seen that the nations have
entered into her sanctuary,
concerning whom you commanded
that they should not enter into your
assembly.
11 All her people sigh.
They seek bread.
They have given their pleasant things
for food to refresh their soul.
“Look, Yahweh, and see,
for I have become despised.”
12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look, and see if there is any sorrow
like my sorrow, which is brought on me,
with which Yahweh has afflicted me in
the day of his fierce anger.
13 “From on high has he sent fire into my
bones, and it prevails against them.
He has spread a net for my feet.
He has turned me back. He has made me
desolate and If aint all day long.
14 “The yoke of my transgressions is bound
by his hand. They are knit together.
They have come up on my neck.
He made my strength fail.
The Lord‡ has delivered me into their
hands, against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The Lord has set at nothing all my
mighty men within me.
He has called a solemn assembly
against me to crush my young men.
The Lord has trodden the virgin
daughter ofJudahas ina wine press.
16 “For these things I weep.
My eye, my eye runs down with water,
because the comforter who should refresh
my soul is far from me.
My children are desolate,
because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion spreads out her hands.
There is no one to comfort her.
Yahweh has commanded concerning Jacob,
that those who are around him should
be his adversaries. Jerusalem is among
them as an unclean thing.
18 “Yahweh is righteous,
for I have rebelled against his commandment.
Please hear all you peoples,
and see my sorrow.
My virgins and my young men have
gone into captivity.
19 “I called for my lovers,
but they deceived me.
My priests and my elders gave
up the spirit in the city, while
they sought food for themselves
to refresh their souls.
20 “Look, Yahweh; for I am in distress.
My heart is troubled.
My heart turns over within me,
for I have grievously rebelled.
Abroad, the sword bereaves.
At home, it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I sigh.
There is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble.
They are glad that you have done it.
You will bring the day that you have proclaimed,
and they will be like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before
you. Do to them as you have done to me for
all my transgressions. For my sighs are many,
and my heart is faint.