Lamentations of Jeremiah 1 The Humiliation of Jerusalem, the Sins and Afflictions of the People

 Lamentations of Jeremiah 1

The Humiliation of Jerusalem, the Sins and Afflictions of the People

1 How lonely sits the city, once so full of people! She has become like a widow; she who was great among the nations, a princess among the provinces, has become a tributary!

2 She weeps continually in the night, and her tears run down 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 the greatness of her servitude; she dwells among the nations, she finds no rest; all her persecutors have overtaken her in her distress.

4 The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the appointed feasts; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins are sad, and she herself is in bitterness.

5 Her adversaries have overtaken her, her enemies prosper; Because the Lord has afflicted her, because of the multitude of her transgressions; her little children go into captivity before the adversary.

6 And all her glory has departed from the daughter of Zion; her princes have become like deer that find no pasture, and they walk without strength before the pursuer.

7 Jerusalem remembers, in the days of her affliction and her rebellions, all her most precious things, which she had from the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and she had no one to help her; the adversaries saw her, and mocked her Sabbaths.

8 Jerusalem has grievously sinned; therefore she has become unstable; all who honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness; she also sighed and turned back.

9 Her uncleanness is in her skirts; she never remembered her end; therefore she was astonishingly brought down; she has no comforter; See, Lord, my affliction, for the enemy has grown great.

10 The adversary has stretched out his hand to all her precious things; for he has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, concerning which you commanded that they should not enter your congregation.

11 All her people are sighing, seeking bread; they have given their precious things in exchange for food to refresh their souls; See, Lord, and behold, for I have become despicable.

12 Is this not to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which has come upon me, with which the Lord has afflicted me on the day of his fierce anger.

13 From on high he sent fire into my bones, which prevailed over them; he spread a net for my feet, he has turned me backward, he has made me desolate and sick all day long.

14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand; they are intertwined, they have come upon my neck, and he has broken my strength: the Lord has delivered me into their hands, and I cannot rise.

15 The Lord has trampled down all my mighty men in my midst; he has called an assembly against me, to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.

16 For these things I weep; my eyes, my eyes overflow with tears; for the comforter who should restore my soul is far from me; my children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.

17 Zion stretches out her hands, there is no one to comfort her; the Lord has commanded concerning Jacob that those who are around him should be enemies; Jerusalem is to them as an unclean thing.

18 The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandments; hear, all you peoples, and see my sorrow; my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

19 I called to my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and my elders perished in the city while they sought food to refresh their souls.

20 See, Lord, how distressed I am; my bowels are troubled, my heart is in turmoil within me, because I have grievously rebelled; outside the sword has bereaved me, within me is death.

21 They hear that I groan, but there is no one to comfort me; all my enemies who have heard of my calamity rejoice, for you have ordained it; but when you bring the day that you have proclaimed, they shall be like me. 

22 Let all their iniquity come before you, and do to them as you have done to me because of all my transgressions; for my sighing is many, and my heart is faint.