Lam 1 | NASB2020 | STEP | How lonely sits the city That once had many people ! She has become like a widow Who was once great among the nations ! She who was a princess among the provinces Has become a forced laborer !

Lamentations 1

The Sorrows of Zion

1 How ^alonely sits the city
That once had ^bmany people!
She has become like a ^cwidow
Who was once ^dgreat among the nations!
She who was a princess among the ^{▼▼Or districts}provinces
Has become a ^fforced laborer!
2 She ^gweeps bitterly in the night,
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has no one to comfort her
Among all her ^hlovers.
All her friends have ⁱdealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
3 ^jJudah has gone into exile out of affliction
And ^{▼▼Lit great}harsh servitude;
She lives ^lamong the nations,
But she has not found a resting place;
All those who ^mpursued her have overtaken her
In the midst of ^{▼▼Or narrow places}distress.
4 The roads ^{▼▼Or to}of Zion are in mourning
Because ^pno one comes to an appointed feast.
All her gates are ^qdeserted;
Her priests groan,
Her ^rvirgins are worried,
And as for Zion herself, it is ^sbitter for her.
5 Her adversaries have become ^{▼▼Lit head}her masters,
Her enemies are ^{▼▼Or at ease}secure;
For the Lord has ^{▼▼Or tormented her
,} ^wcaused her grief
Because of the multitude of her wrongdoings;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives ^{▼▼Lit before}led by the enemy.
6 All of her ^ysplendor
Is gone from the daughter of Zion;
Her leaders have become like deer
That have found no pasture,
And they have ^{▼▼Lit gone
,} ^aafled without strength
^{▼▼Lit Before}From the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness
^acJerusalem remembers all her treasures
That were hers since the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And ^adno one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They ^aelaughed at her ^{▼▼Lit cessation}ruin.
8 Jerusalem sinned ^aggreatly,
Therefore ^ahshe has become an ^{▼▼Or abomination}object of ridicule.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even ^ajshe herself groans and turns away.
9 Her ^akuncleanness was in her garment’s seams;
She ^{▼▼Or remember her final end}did not think of her ^amfuture.
So she has ^{▼▼Lit gone down
,} ^aofallen in an astonishing way;
^apShe has no comforter.
“ ^aqSee, Lord, my affliction,
For the enemy has ^{▼▼Or boasted
,} ^ashonored himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the ^atnations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they were ^aunot to enter Your congregation.
11 All her people groan, ^avseeking bread;
They have given their treasures for food
To ^awrestore their ^{▼▼Lit soul}lives.
“See, Lord, and look,
For I am ^aydespised.”
12 “Is it ^aznothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any pain like my pain
Which was inflicted on me,
With which the ^baLord tormented me on the day of His ^bbfierce anger.
13 “From ^{▼▼I.e., heaven}the height He sent fire into my ^bdbones,
And it dominated them.
He has spread a ^benet for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me ^bfdesolate,
^{▼▼Or Sick}Faint all day long.
14 “The ^bhyoke of my wrongdoings is bound;
By His hand they are woven together.
They have ^bicome upon my neck;
He has made my strength ^{▼▼Lit falter}fail.
The Lord ^bkhas handed me over
To those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The ^blLord has thrown away all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed ^{▼▼Another reading is feast}time against me
To crush my ^bnyoung men;
The Lord has ^botrodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I ^bpweep;
^{▼▼Lit My eye, my eye}My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a ^brcomforter,
One to restore my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion ^bsstretches out with her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has ^btcommanded regarding Jacob
That those around him become his adversaries;
^buJerusalem has become a filthy thing among them.
18 “The Lord is ^bvrighteous,
For I have ^bwrebelled against His ^{▼▼Lit mouth}command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And ^bysee my pain;
^bzMy virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 “I ^cacalled to my lovers, but they deserted me;
My ^cbpriests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to ^ccrestore their ^{▼▼Lit soul}strength themselves.
20 “See, Lord, for I am in distress;
My ^{▼▼Lit inward parts are in ferment
,} ^cfspirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very ^cgrebellious.
In the street the sword has made women childless;
In the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I ^chgroan;
There is no one to comfort me,
All my enemies have heard of my disaster;
They are ^cijoyful that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
So that they will become ^cjlike me.
22 “May all their wickedness come before You;
And ^ckdeal with them just as You have dealt with me
For all my wrongdoings.
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”