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

Her filthiness was in her skirts; she remembered not her latter end; Therefore is she come down wonderfully; she hath no comforter: Behold, O Jehovah, my affliction; for the enemy hath magnified himself.

The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: For she hath seen that the nations are entered into her sanctuary, Concerning whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thine assembly.

All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: See, O Jehovah, and behold; for I am become abject.

From on high hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them; He hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: He hath made me desolate and faint all the day.

For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water; Because the comforter that should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because 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.

I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: My priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, While they sought them food to refresh their souls.

Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

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.

He hath cut off in fierce anger all the horn of Israel; He hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy: And he hath burned up Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.

He hath bent his bow like an enemy, he hath stood with his right hand as an adversary, And hath slain all that were pleasant to the eye: In the tent of the daughter of Zion he hath poured out his wrath like fire.

What shall I testify unto thee? what shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? For thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

Thy prophets have seen for thee false and foolish visions; And they have not uncovered thine iniquity, to bring back thy captivity, But have seen for thee false oracles and causes of banishment.

All thine enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; They hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed her up; Certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; Pour out thy heart like water before the face of the Lord: Lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger at the head of every street.

Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

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

And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace; I forgat prosperity.

Jehovah is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

For the Lord will not cast off for ever.

For though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.

For he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

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

Mine eye runneth down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee; thou saidst, Fear not.

The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.

For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, That was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were laid upon her.

They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field.

Jehovah hath accomplished his wrath, he hath poured out his fierce anger; And he hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the foundations thereof.

Our eyes do yet fail in looking for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

They hunt our steps, so that we cannot 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 upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold unto us.

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 are dim;

For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk upon it.

Thou, O Jehovah, abidest for ever; Thy throne is from generation to generation.

Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, And forsake us so long time?