Lamentations 1 - Lighthouse Bible 2006

¹ How the city sits solitary that was full of people! how she has become like a widow! She who was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how she has become one who pays tribute!

² She weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she has none 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 slavery: she dwells among the heathen, she finds no rest: all her persecutors overtook her in the narrow place.

⁴ The ways of Zion mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

⁵ Her adversaries are the head, her enemies prosper; for the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children have gone into captivity before the enemy.

⁶ And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty has departed: her princes have become like stags that find no pasture, and they have gone without strength before the pursuer.

⁷ Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and no one helped her: the adversaries saw her, and mocked at her sabbaths.

⁸ Jerusalem has greatly sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sighs, and turns backward.

⁹ Her filthiness is in her skirts; she does not remember her latter end; therefore she was brought down as if by a miracle: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy has magnified himself.

¹⁰ The adversary has spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she has seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom you commanded that they should not enter into your congregation.

¹¹ All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for food to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I have become vile.

¹² Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like my sorrow, which has been done to me, with which the LORD has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

¹³ From above 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 faint all the day.

¹⁴ The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are twisted, and come up upon my neck: he has made my strength to fall, the Lord has delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

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

¹⁶ For these things I weep; my eye, my eye runs down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

¹⁷ Zion spreads out her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the LORD has commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is like a menstruous woman among them.

¹⁸ The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold 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 ghost in the city, while they sought their food to relieve their souls.

²⁰ Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; my heart is overturned within me; for I have greatly rebelled: abroad the sword bereaves, at home there is what seems like death.

²¹ They have heard that I sigh: there is none 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 shall be like me.

²² Let all their wickedness come before you, and do to them as you have done to me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.