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Lamentations 1
Complete Jewish Bible
Lamentations 1
Complete Jewish Bible
1 How lonely lies the city
that once thronged with people!
Once great among the nations,
now she is like a widow!
Once princess among provinces,
she has become a vassal.
2 Bitterly she weeps at night,
tears running down her cheeks.
Not one of all her lovers
is there to comfort her.
Her friends have all betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.
3 Y’hudah has fled into exile
from oppression and endless slavery.
She lives among the nations,
but there she finds no rest.
Her pursuers have all overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.
4 The roads to Tziyon are mourning
because no one comes to the festivals.
Her gateways are all deserted,
her cohanim are groaning,
her unmarried girls are grieving —
how bitter it is for her!
5 Her foes have become the head,
her enemies relax,
for Adonai has made her suffer
because of her many sins.
Her young children have gone away
captive before the foe.
6 All splendor has departed
from the daughter of Tziyon.
Her princes have become like deer
unable to find pasture,
running on, exhausted,
fleeing from the hunter.
7 In the days of her affliction and anguish,
Yerushalayim remembers
all the treasures that were hers,
ever since ancient times.
Now her people fall into the power of the foe,
and she has no one to help her;
her enemies are gloating over her,
mocking her desolation.
8 Yerushalayim sinned grievously;
therefore she has become unclean.
All who honored her now despise her,
because they have seen her naked.
She herself also moans
and turns her face away.
9 Her filthiness was in her skirts;
she gave no thought to how it would end.
Hence her astounding downfall,
with no one to console her.
“Look, Adonai, how I suffer;
for the foe has triumphed!”
10 Enemies have reached out their hands
to seize all her treasures.
She has seen Goyim approach
and go inside her sanctuary,
those whom you forbade even
to enter your assembly.
11 All her people are groaning,
as they search for something to eat.
They barter their treasures for food
to keep themselves alive.
“Look, Adonai! See
how despised I am.
12 “May it not happen to you,
all you passers-by!
Just look, and see if there is any pain
like the pain inflicted on me,
which Adonai made me suffer
on the day of his blazing anger.
13 “From on high, he sent down fire
deep into my bones;
he spread a net to catch my feet;
he turned me back;
he left me desolate,
in misery all day long.
14 “My sins have been bound into a yoke,
knit together by his hand.
It weighs down on my neck,
and it saps my strength.
Adonai has put me into the power
of those I cannot withstand.
15 “All the strong men within my walls
Adonai has rejected.
He has set a specific time
for crushing my young men.
Adonai has trodden, like grapes in a winepress,
the virgin daughter of Y’hudah.
16 “Because of these things, I weep;
my eyes, my eyes stream with tears;
for anyone who could comfort me
and revive my courage is far away.
My children are in a state of shock,
because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Tziyon spreads out her hands,
but no one is there to console her.
Concerning Ya‘akov, Adonai has ordered
those around him to be his foes;
Yerushalayim has become for them
an unclean, filthy thing.
18 “Adonai is in the right,
for I rebelled against his word.
Listen, please, all you peoples;
and see how I am in pain!
My young women and my young men
have gone into captivity.
19 “I called out to my lovers,
but they let me down.
My cohanim and leaders
perished in the city,
as they were seeking food
to keep themselves alive.
20 “See, Adonai, how distressed I am!
Everything in me is churning!
My heart turns over inside me,
because I have been so rebellious.
Outside, the sword brings bereavement;
inside, it is like death.
21 “People have heard how I groan,
with no one to comfort me.
All my foes have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that you have done it.
Bring the day you have promised,
so that they will suffer like me!
22 “Let all their wickedness come before you.
Then do to them
as you have done to me
because of all my offenses.
For my groans are many,
and I am sick at heart.”
Lamentations 1
New International Version
Lamentations 1
New International Version
1 [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)
2 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)
3 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.
4 The roads to Zion mourn,(M)
for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
All her gateways are desolate,(N)
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she is in bitter anguish.(O)
5 Her foes have become her masters;
her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief(P)
because of her many sins.(Q)
Her children have gone into exile,(R)
captive before the foe.(S)
6 All the splendor has departed
from Daughter Zion.(T)
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled(U)
before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and wandering
Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
that were hers in days of old.
When her people fell into enemy hands,
there was no one to help her.(V)
Her enemies looked at her
and laughed(W) at her destruction.
8 Jerusalem has sinned(X) greatly
and so has become unclean.(Y)
All who honored her despise her,
for they have all seen her naked;(Z)
she herself groans(AA)
and turns away.
9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
she did not consider her future.(AB)
Her fall(AC) was astounding;
there was none to comfort(AD) her.
“Look, Lord, on my affliction,(AE)
for the enemy has triumphed.”
10 The enemy laid hands
on all her treasures;(AF)
she saw pagan nations
enter her sanctuary(AG)—
those you had forbidden(AH)
to enter your assembly.
11 All her people groan(AI)
as they search for bread;(AJ)
they barter their treasures for food
to keep themselves alive.
“Look, Lord, and consider,
for I am despised.”
12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?(AK)
Look around and see.
Is any suffering like my suffering(AL)
that was inflicted on me,
that the Lord brought on me
in the day of his fierce anger?(AM)
13 “From on high he sent fire,
sent it down into my bones.(AN)
He spread a net(AO) for my feet
and turned me back.
He made me desolate,(AP)
faint(AQ) all the day long.
14 “My sins have been bound into a yoke[b];(AR)
by his hands they were woven together.
They have been hung on my neck,
and the Lord has sapped my strength.
He has given me into the hands(AS)
of those I cannot withstand.
15 “The Lord has rejected
all the warriors in my midst;(AT)
he has summoned an army(AU) against me
to[c] crush my young men.(AV)
In his winepress(AW) the Lord has trampled(AX)
Virgin Daughter(AY) Judah.
16 “This is why I weep
and my eyes overflow with tears.(AZ)
No one is near to comfort(BA) me,
no one to restore my spirit.
My children are destitute
because the enemy has prevailed.”(BB)
17 Zion stretches out her hands,(BC)
but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has decreed for Jacob
that his neighbors become his foes;(BD)
Jerusalem has become
an unclean(BE) thing(BF) among them.
18 “The Lord is righteous,(BG)
yet I rebelled(BH) against his command.
Listen, all you peoples;
look on my suffering.(BI)
My young men and young women
have gone into exile.(BJ)
19 “I called to my allies(BK)
but they betrayed me.
My priests and my elders
perished(BL) in the city
while they searched for food
to keep themselves alive.
20 “See, Lord, how distressed(BM) I am!
I am in torment(BN) within,
and in my heart I am disturbed,(BO)
for I have been most rebellious.(BP)
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is only death.(BQ)
Footnotes
- Lamentations 1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Lamentations 1:14 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint He kept watch over my sins
- Lamentations 1:15 Or has set a time for me / when he will
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.