(Khet) Jerusalem committed terrible sin; therefore she became an object of scorn. All who admired her have despised her because they have seen her nakedness. She groans aloud and turns away in shame.

(Khet) The Lord was determined to tear down Daughter Zion's wall. He prepared to knock it down; he did not withdraw his hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and fortified walls lament; together they mourned their ruin.

(Qof) Get up! Cry out in the night when the night watches start! Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord! Lift up your hands to him for your children's lives; they are fainting at every street corner.

(Gimel) He has walled me in so that I cannot get out; he has weighted me down with heavy prison chains.

(Khet) The Lord's loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end.

(Tet) The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to the one who seeks him.

It is good to wait patiently for deliverance from the Lord.

It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.

Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven:

You shrouded yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.

(Tsade) For no good reason my enemies hunted me down like a bird.

(Khet) Now their appearance is darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it is dried up, like tree bark.

(Sin/Shin) Rejoice and be glad for now, O people of Edom, who reside in the land of Uz. But the cup of judgment will pass to you also; you will get drunk and take off your clothes.

At the risk of our lives we get our food because robbers lurk in the countryside.

The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped playing their music.