How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

Fled from cherished Zion are all that were her splendor. Her princes have become like deer that cannot find their feeding grounds. They flee with strength exhausted from their pursuers.

Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

In her skirts were her unclean ways; she gave no thought to her end; and her fall has been a wonder; she has no comforter: see her sorrow, O Lord; for the attacker is lifted up.

All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.

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

For these [things], I am weeping, {my eyes flow with tears}; because a comforter is far from me, one to restore my life. My sons are desolate because [the] enemy has prevailed.

{Res} Consider, O LORD, how I am troubled: my womb is disquieted, my heart turneth about in me, and I am full of heaviness. The sword hurteth me without, and within I am like unto death.

Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.

{Lamed} Even when they spake to their mothers, "Where is meat and drink?" For while they so said, they fell down in the streets of the city, like as they had been wounded, and some died in their mothers' bosom.

(Tsade) Cry out from your heart to the Lord, O wall of Daughter Zion! Make your tears flow like a river all day and all night long! Do not rest; do not let your tears stop!

The youth and old man lay down upon the earth of the streets; my virgins and my young men fell by the sword; thou didst slay in the day of thine anger; thou didst slay, thou didst not pity.

He has made my life nothing but pain, he has given me the bitter root in full measure.

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Let him fall face down in the dust, so there may yet be hope.

He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

For though he sends grief, still he will have pity in the full measure of his love.

My eyes flow with streams of tears
because of the destruction of my dear people.

(Ayin) Tears flow from my eyes and will not stop; there will be no break

Even the beasts of the waste land have full breasts, they give milk to their young ones: the daughter of my people has become cruel like the ostriches in the waste land.

Better have been the pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced through, Without the increase of the field.

The Lord has given full effect to his passion, he has let loose his burning wrath; he has made a fire in Zion, causing the destruction of its bases.

{Samekh} But they cried unto every man, "Flee the staining! Away, get you hence, touch it not! Yea," say they, "ye must be burnt: ye must dwell among the Gentiles, and bide no longer here."

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

Completed is thy punishment, O daughter of Zion, He will no more carry thee away captive - He hath punished thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he hath stripped the veil from off thy sins.

They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.

The crown of our head fell: wo! now to us, for we sinned.

Therefore our heart is full of heaviness, and our eyes dim:

But you have quite given us up; you are full of wrath against us.