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Chapter 1

Jerusalem Deserted and Forsaken[a]

How deserted now is the city
    that was formerly overflowing with people!
Once she was the greatest of the nations;
    now she is like a widow.
Once she was a princess among the provinces;
    now she is subjected to forced labor.
She weeps bitterly throughout the night,
    with tears running down her cheeks.
Not a single one of those who loved her
    remains to offer her comfort.
All of her friends[b] have betrayed her
    and have become her enemies.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 This poet describes the sad state of Jerusalem after the destruction by the Chaldeans. Pleading for God’s help, the city joins in the prophet’s laments (v. 12) with the terrible realization that it was God’s wrath that Jerusalem suffered because of its infidelity. Verse 22 implores God to deal as harshly with the enemies of Jerusalem as he had with them.
  2. Lamentations 1:2 Friends: the military allies of the Israelites.