Lamentations How solitary sits the city once of many people! She has become like a widow who was great among nations; The chief princess among the provinces, she has become a payer of tribute."

CLV⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ How solitary sits the city once of many people! She has become like a widow who was great among nations; The chief princess among the provinces, she has become a payer of tribute." ² She is lamenting, yea lamenting in the night, her tears on her cheeks; There is no one to comfort her of all her lovers; All her associates have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies." ³ Deported is Judah after humiliation and much servitude; She dwells among the nations but finds no rest; All her pursuers have overtaken her in the narrow places. ⁴ The roads to Zion are mournful without anyone coming to the appointed festivals; All her gateways are desolate; her priests are sighing; Her virgins are afflicted, and to herself it has brought bitterness." ⁵ Her foes have become the head; her enemies are at ease; For Yahweh Himself has afflicted her because of her many transgressions; Her infants have gone into captivity before the foe. ⁶ Gone forth from the daughter of Zion is all her effulgence; Her chiefs have become like stags that find no pasture; They go without vigor before the pursuer. ⁷ Jerusalem remembers in the days of her humiliation and her homelessness, all her coveted things that were from days of long ago, When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was no help for her. The foes saw her; they made sport of her dissolution." ⁸ A sin has Jerusalem sinned; therefore she has become an isolated woman; All who glorified her count her abject, for they have seen her nakedness; Indeed she herself sighs and turns away back." ⁹ Her uncleanness is in her skirts, she was not mindful of her future; So she has come down most marvelously; there was no one to comfort her. See, O Yahweh, my humiliation, for the enemy magnified himself." ¹⁰ The foe has spread out his hand over all her coveted things; Indeed she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, Concerning whom You had instructed that they should not enter Your assembly." ¹¹ All her people are sighing, seeking bread; They have given their coveted things for food to restore the soul; See, O Yahweh, and look on me, for I have become abject." ¹² Is it nothing to you, all who pass along the way? Look about and see if there is any pain like my pain which is brought on me, With which Yahweh afflicts in the day of His hot anger." ¹³ From on high He sends fire; into my bones He makes it descend; He spreads a net for my feet; He turns me back; He makes me desolate, languishing all the day." ¹⁴ The yoke of my transgressions is bound on; In His hand they intertwine themselves; They ascend upon my neck; it has caused my vigor to falter. Yahweh has given me over into the hands of those I cannot rise against. ¹⁵ Yahweh has cast aside all my sturdy ones in my midst; He has called an appointed assembly against me to break apart my choice young men; Yahweh has trodden the winetrough of the virgin daughter of Judah. ¹⁶ Over these I am lamenting; my eye, my eye runs down with water; For far from me is any comforter, any restorer of my soul; My sons are desolate, for the enemy has mastery." ¹⁷ Zion spreads out her hands; there is no one to comfort her; Yahweh has commissioned His foes round about him against Jacob; Jerusalem has become an isolated woman among them. ¹⁸ Yahweh, He is righteous, for I have rebelled against His bidding; Hearken now all you peoples, and see my pain; My virgins and my choice young men, they have gone into captivity." ¹⁹ I called to my lovers; they deceived me; My priests and my elders deceased in the city While they sought food for themselves that they might restore their soul. ²⁰ See O Yahweh, that distress is mine; my bowels, they are in turmoil; My heart is overturned within me, for I have rebelled, yea rebelled; Outside the sword bereaves; in the house it is like death." ²¹ They hear that I am sighing; there is no one to comfort me; All my enemies hear of my evil lot; they are elated that You Yourself have done it. May You bring the day You proclaimed so they shall become like me! ²² May all their evil come before You, And bring on them just what You brought on me because of all my transgressions; For my sighings are many, and my heart is sick."