How hath she sat alone, The city abounding with people! She hath been as a widow, The mighty among nations! Princes among provinces, She hath become tributary!

She weepeth sore in the night, And her tear is on her cheeks, There is no comforter for her out of all her lovers, All her friends dealt treacherously by her, They have been to her for enemies.

And go out from the daughter of Zion doth all her honour, Her princes have been as harts -- They have not found pasture, And they go powerless before a pursuer.

Her uncleanness is in her skirts, She hath not remembered her latter end, And she cometh down wonderfully, There is no comforter for her. See, O Jehovah, mine affliction, For exerted himself hath an enemy.

Is it nothing to you, all ye passing by the way? Look attentively, and see, If there is any pain like my pain, That He is rolling to me? Whom Jehovah hath afflicted In the day of the fierceness of His anger.

For these I am weeping, My eye, my eye, is running down with waters, For, far from me hath been a comforter, Refreshing my soul, My sons have been desolate, For mighty hath been an enemy.

Spread forth hath Zion her hands, There is no comforter for her, Jehovah hath charged concerning Jacob, His neighbours are his adversaries, Jerusalem hath become impure among them.

Righteous is Jehovah, For His mouth I have provoked. Hear, I pray you, all ye peoples, and see my pain, My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

See, O Jehovah, for distress is to me, My bowels have been troubled, Turned hath been my heart in my midst, For I have greatly provoked, From without bereaved hath the sword, In the house it is as death.

They have heard that I have sighed, There is no comforter for me, All my enemies have heard of my calamity, They have rejoiced that Thou hast done it, Thou hast brought in the day Thou hast called, And they are like to me.

Come in doth all their evil before Thee, And one is doing to them as Thou hast done to me, For all my transgressions, For many are my sighs, and my heart is sick!

He hath cut off in the heat of anger every horn of Israel, He hath turned backward His right hand From the face of the enemy, And He burneth against Jacob as a flaming fire, It hath devoured round about.

He hath trodden His bow as an enemy, Stood hath His right hand as an adversary, And He slayeth all the desirable ones of the eye, In the tent of the daughter of Zion, He hath poured out as fire His fury.

The Lord hath been as an enemy, He hath swallowed up Israel, He hath swallowed up all her palaces, He hath destroyed His fortresses, And He multiplieth in the daughter of Judah Mourning and moaning.

And He shaketh as a garden His tabernacle, He hath destroyed His appointed place, Jehovah hath forgotten in Zion the appointed time and sabbath, And despiseth, in the indignation of His anger, king and priest.

Sunk into the earth have her gates, He hath destroyed and broken her bars, Her king and her princes are among the nations, There is no law, also her prophets Have not found vision from Jehovah.

To their mothers they say, 'Where are corn and wine?' In their becoming feeble as a pierced one In the broad places of the city, In their soul pouring itself out into the bosom of their mothers.

What do I testify to thee, what do I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What do I equal to thee, and I comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For great as a sea is thy breach, Who doth give healing to thee?

Clapped hands at thee have all passing by the way, They have hissed -- and they shake the head At the daughter of Jerusalem: 'Is this the city of which they said: The perfection of beauty, a joy to all the land?'

Opened against thee their mouth have all thine enemies, They have hissed, yea, they gnash the teeth, They have said: 'We have swallowed her up, Surely this is the day that we looked for, We have found -- we have seen.'

Cried hath their heart unto the Lord; O wall of the daughter of Zion, Cause to go down as a stream tears daily and nightly, Give not rest to thyself, Let not the daughter of thine eye stand still.

Arise, cry aloud in the night, At the beginning of the watches. Pour out as water thy heart, Over against the face of the Lord, Lift up unto Him thy hands, for the soul of thine infants, Who are feeble with hunger at the head of all out-places.

Thou dost call as at a day of appointment, My fears from round about, And there hath not been in the day of the anger of Jehovah, An escaped and remaining one, They whom I stretched out and nourished, My enemy hath consumed!

In dark places He hath caused me to dwell, As the dead of old.

A bear lying in wait He is to me, A lion in secret hiding-places.

My ways He is turning aside, and He pulleth me in pieces, He hath made me a desolation.

He hath trodden His bow, And setteth me up as a mark for an arrow.

New every morning, abundant is thy faithfulness.

My portion is Jehovah, hath my soul said, Therefore I hope for Him.

Good is Jehovah to those waiting for Him, To the soul that seeketh Him.

He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid it upon him.

He putteth in the dust his mouth, if so be there is hope.

He giveth to his smiter the cheek, He is filled with reproach.

Who is this -- he hath said, and it is, And the Lord hath not commanded it?

Thou hast covered Thyself with anger, And dost pursue us; Thou hast slain -- Thou hast not pitied.

Offscouring and refuse Thou dost make us In the midst of the peoples.

Opened against us their mouth have all our enemies.

Fear and a snare hath been for us, Desolation and destruction.

Mine eye is poured out, And doth not cease without intermission,

Hunted me sore as a bird have my enemies without cause.

How is the gold become dim, Changed the best -- the pure gold? Poured out are stones of the sanctuary At the head of all out-places.

Even dragons have drawn out the breast, They have suckled their young ones, The daughter of my people is become cruel, Like the ostriches in a wilderness.

And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as in a moment, And no hands were stayed on her.

Darker than blackness hath been their visage, They have not been known in out-places, Cleaved hath their skin unto their bone, It hath withered -- it hath been as wood.

Swifter have been our pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned after us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.

Joy and rejoice, O daughter of Edom, Dwelling in the land of Uz, Even unto thee pass over doth a cup, Thou art drunk, and makest thyself naked.

Completed is thy iniquity, daughter of Zion, He doth not add to remove thee, He hath inspected thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He hath removed thee because of thy sins!

Remember, O Jehovah, what hath befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.

Orphans we have been -- without a father, our mothers are as widows.

For our neck we have been pursued, We have laboured -- there hath been no rest for us.

Servants have ruled over us, A deliverer there is none from their hand.

Our skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.

Fallen hath the crown from our head, Woe is now to us, for we have sinned.

For the mount of Zion -- that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.

Why for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days!

Turn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.

For hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us -- exceedingly?