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The Sorrowful City[a]

How lonely she lies,
    the city that thronged with people!
Like a widow she has become,
    this great one among nations!
The princess among provinces
    has become a vassal.

Bitterly she cries in the night,
    as tears stream down[b] her cheeks.
No one consoles her
    of all her friends.
All her neighbors have betrayed her;
    they have become her enemies.

Judah has gone into exile
    to escape affliction and servitude.
She that sat among the nations,
    has found no rest.
All her pursuers overtook her
    amid narrow passes.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 This book is an acrostic—successive verses begin with a consecutive letter of the Heb. alphabet except in chapter 3, where every three verses begin with the same consecutive Heb. letter.
  2. Lamentations 1:2 The Heb. lacks stream down

[a]How deserted(A) lies the city,
    once so full of people!(B)
How like a widow(C) is she,
    who once was great(D) among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
    has now become a slave.(E)

Bitterly she weeps(F) at night,
    tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers(G)
    there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed(H) her;
    they have become her enemies.(I)

After affliction and harsh labor,
    Judah has gone into exile.(J)
She dwells among the nations;
    she finds no resting place.(K)
All who pursue her have overtaken her(L)
    in the midst of her distress.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.