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Jerusalem Cries over Her Loss

Jerusalem once was full of people,
    but now the city is empty.
Jerusalem once was a great city among the nations,
    but now she[a] is like a widow.
She was like a queen of all the other cities,
    but now she is a slave.

She cries loudly at night,
    and tears are on her cheeks.
There is no one to comfort her;
    all who loved her are gone.
All her friends have turned against her
    and are now her enemies.

Judah has gone into captivity
    where she suffers and works hard.
She lives among other nations,
    but she has found no rest.
Those who chased her caught her
    when she was in trouble.

The roads to Jerusalem are sad,
    because no one comes for the feasts.
No one passes through her gates.
    Her priests groan,
her young women are suffering,
    and Jerusalem suffers terribly.

Her foes are now her masters.
    Her enemies enjoy the wealth they have taken.
The Lord is punishing her
    for her many sins.
Her children have gone away
    as captives of the enemy.

The beauty of Jerusalem
    has gone away.
Her rulers are like deer
    that cannot find food.
They are weak
    and run from the hunters.

Jerusalem is suffering and homeless.
    She remembers all the good things
    from the past.
But her people were defeated by the enemy,
    and there was no one to help her.
When her enemies saw her,
    they laughed to see her ruined.

Jerusalem sinned terribly,
    so she has become unclean.
Those who honored her now hate her,
    because they have seen her nakedness.
She groans
    and turns away.

She made herself dirty by her sins
    and did not think about what would happen to her.
Her defeat was surprising,
    and no one could comfort her.
She says, “Lord, see how I suffer,
    because the enemy has won.”

10 The enemy reached out and took
    all her precious things.
She even saw foreigners
    enter her Temple.
The Lord had commanded foreigners
    never to enter the meeting place of his people.

11 All of Jerusalem’s people groan,
    looking for bread.
They are trading their precious things for food
    so they can stay alive.
The city says, “Look, Lord, and see.
    I am hated.”

12 Jerusalem says, “You who pass by on the road don’t seem to care.
    Come, look at me and see:
Is there any pain like mine?
    Is there any pain like that he has caused me?
The Lord has punished me
    on the day of his great anger.

13 “He sent fire from above
    that went down into my bones.
He stretched out a net for my feet
    and turned me back.
He made me so sad and lonely
    that I am weak all day.

14 “He has noticed my sins;
    they are tied together by his hands;
they hang around my neck.
    He has turned my strength into weakness.
The Lord has handed me over
    to those who are stronger than I.

15 “The Lord has rejected
    all my mighty men inside my walls.
He brought an army against me
    to destroy my young men.
As if in a winepress, the Lord has crushed
    the capital city of Judah.

16 “I cry about these things;
    my eyes overflow with tears.
There is no one near to comfort me,
    no one who can give me strength again.
My children are left sad and lonely,
    because the enemy has won.”

17 Jerusalem reaches out her hands,
    but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord commanded the people of Jacob
    to be surrounded by their enemies.
Jerusalem is now unclean
    like those around her.

18 Jerusalem says, “The Lord is right,
    but I refused to obey him.
Listen, all you people,
    and look at my pain.
My young women and men
    have gone into captivity.

19 “I called out to my friends,
    but they turned against me.
My priests and my elders
    have died in the city
while looking for food
    to stay alive.

20 “Look at me, Lord. I am upset
    and greatly troubled.
My heart is troubled,
    because I have been so stubborn.
Out in the streets, the sword kills;
    inside the houses, death destroys.

21 “People have heard my groaning,
    and there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble,
    and they are happy you have done this to me.
Now bring that day you have announced
    so that my enemies will be like me.

22 “Look at all their evil.
    Do to them what you have done to me
    because of all my sins.
I groan over and over again,
    and I am afraid.”

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 she In this poem the city of Jerusalem is described as a woman.

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!

She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.

Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

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.

Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O Lord, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself.

10 The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

11 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.

12 Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

13 From above 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.

14 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.

15 The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

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

17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.

18 The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

19 I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

20 Behold, O Lord; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.

21 They have heard that I sigh: there is none to comfort me: all mine enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that thou hast done it: thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.

22 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.