She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; among all her lovers she hath no comforter; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly: all her gates are desolate; her priests sigh, her virgins are in grief; and as for her, she is in bitterness.

Her adversaries have become the head, her enemies prosper; for Jehovah hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the adversary.

And from the daughter of Zion all her splendour is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture; and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, they are come up upon my neck; he hath made my strength to fail; the Lord hath delivered me into hands out of which I am not able to rise up.

For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water: for the comforter that should revive my soul is far from me; my children are desolate, for the enemy hath prevailed.

Jehovah is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment. Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and behold my sorrow. My virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

See, Jehovah, for I am in distress, my bowels are troubled; my heart is turned within me, for I have grievously rebelled: without, the sword hath bereaved me, within, it is as death.

They have heard that I sigh: I have no comforter: all mine enemies have heard of my calamity; they are glad that thou hast done it. Thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.

Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars. Her king and her princes are among the nations: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from Jehovah.

Mine eyes are consumed with tears, my bowels are troubled; my liver is poured upon the earth, because of the ruin of the daughter of my people; because infant and suckling swoon in the streets of the city.

They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swoon as the wounded in the streets of the city; when they pour out their soul into their mothers' bosom.

The child and the old man lie on the ground in the streets; my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword: thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, thou hast not spared.

Thou hast called up, as on the day of a set feast, my terrors on every side; and in the day of Jehovah's anger there was none that escaped or remained: those that I have nursed and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.

He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

It is of Jehovah's loving-kindness we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not;

they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

for he doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Jehovah.

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

All our enemies have opened their mouth against us.

Fear and the pit are come upon us, devastation and ruin.

They that are mine enemies without cause have chased me sore like a bird.

Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.

The sons of Zion, so precious, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

They that fed delicately are desolate in the streets; they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dung-hills.

And the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the reward of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were violently laid upon her.

Her Nazarites were purer than snow, whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their figure was as sapphire.

Their visage is darker than blackness, they are not known in the streets; their skin cleaveth to their bones, it is withered, it is become like a stick.

The slain with the sword are happier than the slain with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

The hands of pitiful women have boiled their own children: they were their meat in the ruin of the daughter of my people.

They wandered about blind in the streets; they were polluted with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

Our eyes still failed for our vain help; in our watching, we have watched for a nation that did not save.

They hunted our steps, that we could not go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens; they chased us hotly upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.

Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us; consider, and see our reproach.

Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.

We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.

Our water have we to drink for money, our wood cometh unto us for a price.

Our pursuers are on our necks: we are weary, we have no rest.

Our fathers have sinned, and they are not; and we bear their iniquities.

We have to get our bread at the risk of our lives, because of the sword of the wilderness.

Our skin gloweth like an oven, because of the burning heat of the famine.

Princes were hanged up by their hand; the faces of elders were not honoured.

The joy of our heart hath ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.

The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, for we have sinned!

For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes have grown dim,

Turn thou us unto thee, Jehovah, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

Or is it that thou hast utterly rejected us? Wouldest thou be exceeding wroth against us?