The hand of her hater is stretched out over all her desired things; for she has seen that the nations have come into her holy place, about whom you gave orders that they were not to come into the meeting of your people.

What example am I to give you? what comparison am I to make for you, O daughter of Jerusalem? what am I to make equal to you, so that I may give you comfort, O virgin daughter of Zion? for your destruction is great like the sea: who is able to make you well?

The visions which your prophets have seen for you are false and foolish; they have not made clear to you your sin so that your fate might be changed: but they have seen for you false words, driving you away.

The Lord has done that which was his purpose; he has put into force the orders which he gave in the days which are past; pulling down without pity, he has made your hater glad over you, lifting up the horn of those who were against you.

He has put a wall round me, so that I am not able to go out; he has made great the weight of my chain.

It is through the Lord's love that we have not come to destruction, because his mercies have no limit.

Covering yourself with a cloud, so that prayer may not get through.

You have made us like waste and that for which there is no use, among the peoples.

The Lord is unkind to my soul, more than all the daughters of my town.

For the punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overturned suddenly without any hand falling on her.

Her holy ones were cleaner than snow, they were whiter than milk, their bodies were redder than corals, their form was as the sapphire:

Their face is blacker than night; in the streets no one has knowledge of them: their skin is hanging on their bones, they are dry, they have become like wood.

Those who have been put to the sword are better off than those whose death is caused by need of food; for these come to death slowly, burned up like the fruit of the field.

To the kings of the earth and to all the people of the world it did not seem possible that the attackers and the haters would go into the doors of Jerusalem.

They are wandering like blind men in the streets, they are made unclean with blood, so that their robes may not be touched by men.

They go after our steps so that we may not go in our streets: our end is near, our days are numbered; for our end has come.

Those who went after us were quicker than the eagles of the heaven, driving us before them on the mountains, waiting secretly for us in the waste land.

We have given our hands to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians so that we might have enough bread.