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Jerusalem Cries over Her Loss

Jerusalem once was full of people,
    but now the city is empty.
Jerusalem once was a great city among the nations,
    but now she[a] is like a widow.
She was like a queen of all the other cities,
    but now she is a slave.

She cries loudly at night,
    and tears are on her cheeks.
There is no one to comfort her;
    all who loved her are gone.
All her friends have turned against her
    and are now her enemies.

Judah has gone into captivity
    where she suffers and works hard.
She lives among other nations,
    but she has found no rest.
Those who chased her caught her
    when she was in trouble.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:1 she In this poem the city of Jerusalem is described as a woman.

[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.