Lamentations Chapter 1    

ALEPH

 ¹ How the city sits solitary

 that was full of people!

 She has become as a widow,

 she who was great among the nations!

 She who was a princess among the provinces

 has been put to forced labor!

  BET

 ² She weeps bitterly in the night,

 and her tears are on her cheeks;

 among all her lovers

 she has none to comfort her.

 All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;

 they have become her enemies.

  GIMEL

 ³ Judah is gone into captivity

 because of affliction and because of great servitude;

 she dwells among the nations,

 she finds no rest;

 all her persecutors overtook her

 inside the straits.

  DALETH

 ⁴ The ways of Zion do mourn,

 because none come to the solemn assembly;

 all her gates are desolate,

 her priests do sigh:

 her virgins are afflicted,

 and she herself is in bitterness.

  HE

 ⁵ Her adversaries are become the head,

 her enemies prosper,

 for Yahweh has afflicted her

 for the multitude of her transgressions;

 her young children

 are gone into captivity before the adversary.

  VAV

 ⁶ From the daughter of Zion

 all her majesty is departed;

 her officials are become like harts

 that find no pasture,

 they are gone without strength

 before the pursuer.

  ZAYIN

 ⁷ Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction

 and of her miseries all her pleasant things

 that were from the days of old,

 when her people fell into the hand of the adversary

 and no one helped her.

 The adversaries saw her,

 they mocked at her desolations.

  KHET

 ⁸ Jerusalem has grievously sinned,

 therefore she has become as an unclean thing;

 all who honored her despise her,

 because they have seen her nakedness;

 yes, she sighs and turns backward.

  TET

 ⁹ Her filthiness was in her skirts;

 she didn’t remember her latter end,

 therefore is she come down wonderfully;

 she has no comforter.

 Yahweh, see my affliction;

 for the enemy has magnified himself.

  YOD

 ¹⁰ The adversary has spread out his hand

 on all her pleasant things,

 for she has seen that the nations

 are entered into her sanctuary

 concerning whom you commanded

 that they should not enter into your assembly.

  KAF

 ¹¹ All her people sigh,

 they seek bread;

 they have given their pleasant things for food

 to refresh the soul.

 Look, Yahweh, and see,

 for I am become abject.

  LAMED

 ¹² Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?

 Look and see

 if there is any sorrow like my sorrow

 that is brought on me,

 with which Yahweh has afflicted me

 in the day of his fierce anger.

  MEM

 ¹³ From on high has he sent fire into my bones,

 and it prevails against them;

 he has spread a net for my feet,

 he has turned me back;

 he has made me desolate

 and faint all the day.

  NUN

 ¹⁴ The yoke of my transgressions

 is bound by his hand;

 they are knit together,

 they have come up on my neck;

 he has made my strength to fail.

 The Lord has delivered me into their hands

 against whom I am not able to stand.

  SAMEK

 ¹⁵ The Lord has set at nothing

 all my mighty men in the midst of me,

 He has called a solemn assembly against

 me to crush my young men.

 The Lord has trampled as in a winepress

 the virgin daughter of Judah.

  AYIN

 ¹⁶ For these things I weep;

 my eye, my eye runs down with water,

 because the comforter who should refresh my soul

 is far from me.

 My children are desolate

 because the enemy has prevailed.

  PE

 ¹⁷ Zion spreads out her hands;

 there is none to comfort her;

 Yahweh has commanded concerning Jacob

 that those who are around him should be his adversaries;

 Jerusalem is among them

 as an unclean thing.

  TSADE

 ¹⁸ Yahweh is righteous,

 for I have rebelled against his commandment.

 Please hear all you peoples,

 and see my sorrow.

 My virgins and my young men

 are gone into captivity.

  QOF

 ¹⁹ I called for my lovers,

 but they deceived me.

 My priests and my elders

 gave up the spirit in the city

 while they sought food for themselves

 to refresh their souls.

  RESH

 ²⁰ See, Yahweh, for I am in distress;

 my bowels are troubled;

 my heart is churning within me,

 for I have grievously rebelled.

 Abroad the sword bereaves,

 at home there is as death.

  SHIN

 ²¹ They have heard that I sigh;

 there is none to comfort me.

 All my enemies have heard of my trouble;

 they are glad that you have done it.

 You will bring the day that you have proclaimed,

 and they may be like me.

  TAV

 ²² Let all their wickedness come before you.

 Do to them as you have done to me

 for all my transgressions,

 for my sighs are many

 and my heart is faint.