1
2 3 4 5
1 <1> Jerusalem once was a city full of people,
but now the city is so empty.
Jerusalem was one of the greatest cities in the world,
but now she[1] has become like a widow.
She was once a princess among cities,
but now she has been made a slave.
<2> She cries bitterly in the night.
Her tears are on her cheeks.
She has no one to comfort her.
Many nations were friendly to her,
but not one of them comforts her now.
All her friends have turned their backs on her
and have become her enemies.
<3> Judah suffered very much,
and then she was taken into captivity.
She lives among other nations
but has found no rest.
The people who chased her caught her
where there was no way out.[2]
<4> The roads to Zion[3] are very sad,
because no one comes to Zion for the festivals anymore.
All of Zion’s gates have been destroyed;
all her priests groan.
Zion’s young women have been taken away,[4]
and all this made Zion sad.
<5> Jerusalem’s enemies have won.
Her enemies have been successful.
This happened because the Lord punished her.
He punished Jerusalem for her many sins.
Her children have gone away.
Their enemies captured them
and took them away.
<6> The beauty of Daughter Zion[5]
has gone away.
Her princes were like deer
that cannot find a meadow to feed in.
They walk away without strength
from those who chased them.
<7> Jerusalem thinks back.
She remembers the time when she was hurt
and when she lost her home.
She remembers all the nice things
that she had in the past.
She remembers those nice things
that she had in the old days.
She remembers when her people
were captured by the enemy.
She remembers when there was no one
to help her.
When her enemies saw her, they laughed,
because she was destroyed.
<8> Jerusalem sinned very badly.
Because Jerusalem sinned,
she became a ruined city that people shake their heads about.
In the past people respected her.
Now they hate her,
because they abused her.
Jerusalem groaned and turned away.
<9> Jerusalem’s skirts were dirty.
She gave no thought to what would become of her.
Her fall was amazing.
She had no one to comfort her.
She says, “Lord, see how I am hurt!
See how my enemy thinks he is so great!”
<10> The enemy stretched out his hand.
He took all her nice things.
In fact, she saw the foreign nations
go inside her Temple.
And Lord, you said those people
could not join in our assembly!
<11> All the people of Jerusalem are groaning.
All of her people are looking for food.
They are giving away all their nice things
for food to stay alive.
Jerusalem says, “Look, Lord. Look at me!
See how people hate me.
<12> All you who pass by on the road,
you don’t seem to care.
But look at me and see.
Is there any pain like my pain?
Is there any pain like the pain that has come to me?
Is there any pain like the pain that the Lord has punished me with?
He has punished me on the day
of his great anger.
<13> The Lord sent fire from above
that went down into my bones.
He stretched out a net for my feet.
He turned me all the way around.
He made me into a wasteland.
I am sick all day.
<14> “My sins were tied up like a yoke.[6]
My sins were tied up in the Lord’s hands.
His yoke is on my neck.
He has made me weak.
He has given me to those
who I cannot stand up against.
<15> “The Lord rejected all my powerful men
who were inside the city.
Then he brought a group of people against me.
He brought them to kill my young soldiers.
It was as if my Master were stepping on grapes in a winepress,
the winepress of Virgin Daughter Judah.[7]
<16> “I cry about all these things.
Tears are flowing down my cheeks.
There is no one near to comfort me.
There is no one who can make me feel better.
My children are like a wasteland,
because the enemy won.”
<17> Zion spread out her hands.
There was no one to comfort her.
The Lord had given orders to Jacob’s[8] enemies.
He ordered them to surround the city.
Jerusalem has become a dirty rag
that her enemies threw away.
<18> Now Jerusalem says, “I refused to listen to the Lord,
so he is right for doing these things.
So listen, all you people!
Look at my pain!
My young women and men
have gone into captivity.
<19> I called out to my lovers,
but they tricked me.
My priests and my elders
have died in the city.
They were looking for food for themselves.
They wanted to keep themselves alive.
<20> “Look at me, Lord. I am in distress!
I am upset, as if my heart turned upside down inside of me.
I feel this way because
I have been so stubborn.
Out in the streets,
I lost my children to the swords.
Inside, it is like death.
<21> “Listen to me, I am groaning.
I have no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble.
They are happy that you did this to me.
You said there would be a time of punishment.
You said you would punish my enemies.
Now do what you said.
Let my enemies be like I am now.
<22> “Look how evil my enemies are!
Then you can treat them
the same way you treated me because of all my sins.
Do this because I am groaning again and again.
Do this because my heart is sick.”
2
<1> Look how the Lord has set
Daughter Zion[9] under a cloud.
He has thrown the glory of Israel
from the sky to the ground.
He forgot that Israel was his footstool,
on the day of his anger.
<2> The Lord destroyed the houses of Jacob.[10]
He destroyed them without mercy.
In his anger he destroyed
the fortresses of Daughter Judah.[11]
He threw the kingdom of Judah
and its rulers to the ground.
He ruined the kingdom of Judah.
<3> The Lord was angry, and he destroyed
all the strength of Israel.
He took away his right hand from Israel.
He did this when the enemy came.
He burned like a flaming fire in Jacob.
He was like a fire that burns all around.
<4> The Lord bent his bow like an enemy.
He held his sword in his right hand.
He killed all the good-looking men of Judah.
He killed them as if they were the enemy.
The Lord poured out his anger
like a fire on the tents of Zion.
<5> The Lord has become like an enemy.
He has swallowed up Israel.
He has swallowed up all her palaces
and all her fortresses.
He has made much sadness and crying
for the dead in Daughter Judah.
<6> The Lord pulled up his own tent[12]
as if it were a garden.
He has ruined the place where the people
went to meet to worship him.
The Lord has made people forget
the special assemblies and special days of rest[13] in Zion.
He rejected the king and the priests.
He was angry and rejected them.
<7> He rejected his altar,
and he rejected his Holy Place of worship.
He let the enemy pull down the walls
of the palaces of Jerusalem.
The enemy shouted with joy in the Lord’s Temple.
They made noise, as though it were a festival.
<8> The Lord planned to destroy
the wall of Daughter Zion.
He marked the wall with a measuring line.
He didn’t stop himself from destroying it.
He made all the walls cry out in sadness.
Together they wasted away.
<9> Jerusalem’s gates have sunk into the ground.
He destroyed and smashed the bars of the gates.
Her king and princes are in other nations.
There is no more teaching for them.
Also Jerusalem’s prophets have not had
any visions[14] from the Lord.
<10> The elders of Zion[15] sit on the ground.
They sit on the ground and are quiet.
They pour dust on their heads.
They put on sackcloth.[16]
The young women of Jerusalem
bow their heads to the ground in sorrow.
<11> My eyes are worn out with tears,
and my insides are upset.
My heart feels like it has been poured on the ground;
I feel this way because of the destruction of my people.
Children and babies are fainting
in the public squares of the city.
<12> They ask their mothers,
“Where is the bread and wine?”
as they pour out their life in their mother’s laps.
<13> Daughter Zion,
what can I compare you to?
What can I compare you to,
Virgin Daughter Zion?
How can I comfort you?
Your destruction is as big as the sea.
I don’t think anyone can heal you.
<14> Your prophets saw visions for you,
but their visions were only worthless lies.
They didn’t speak against your sins.
They didn’t try to make things better.
They spoke messages for you,
but they were false messages that fooled you.
<15> Those who pass by on the road
clap their hands at you in shock.
They whistle and shake their heads
at Daughter Jerusalem.[17]
They ask, “Is this the city that people called
‘The Perfectly Beautiful City’
and ‘The Joy of all the Earth’?”
<16> All your enemies laugh at you.
They whistle and grind their teeth at you.
They say, “We have swallowed them up!
This is the day we were hoping for.
We have finally seen this happen!”
<17> The Lord did what he planned to do.
He did what he said he would do.
He did what he commanded a long time ago.
He destroyed, and he had no pity.
He made your enemies happy
because of what happened to you.
He made your enemies strong.
<18> Cry out[18] with your hearts to the Lord!
Wall of Daughter Zion,[19]
let tears roll down like a stream.
Let your tears roll down day and night.
Don’t stop crying
or let your eyes dry.
<19> Get up and cry throughout the night.
Pour out your heart as if it were water.
Pour out your heart before the Lord.
Lift up your hands in prayer to the Lord.
Ask him to let your starving children live.
They are fainting with hunger in all the streets of the city.
<20> Look at me, Lord!
See who it is that you have treated this way.
Let me ask this question:
Should women eat the children
they have given birth to?
Should women eat the children
they have cared for?
Should priests and prophets
be killed in the Temple of the Lord?
<21> Young men and old men
lie on the ground in the streets of the city.
My young women and young men
have been killed by the sword.
You killed them on the day of your anger.
You killed them without mercy!
<22> You invited terror to come to me
from all around.
You invited terror as though you were
inviting it to a festival.
No one escaped
on the day of the Lord’s anger.
My enemy killed the people
who I raised and brought up.
3 <1> I am a man who has seen much trouble.
The Lord beat us with a stick,
and I saw it happen.
<2> He led and brought me
into darkness, not light.
<3> He turned his hand against me.
He did this again and again, all day.
<4> He wore out my flesh and skin.
He broke my bones.
<5> He built up bitterness
and trouble against me.
He surrounded me with bitterness and trouble.
<6> He put me in the dark,
like someone who died long ago.
<7> He shut me in, so I could not get out.
He put heavy chains on me.
<8> Even when I cry out and ask for help,
he does not listen to my prayer.
<9> He has blocked up my path with stones.
He has made my path crooked.
<10> He is like a bear about to attack me,
like a lion that is in a hiding place.
<11> He led me off my path.
He tore me to pieces and ruined me.
<12> He made his bow ready.
He made me the target for his arrows.
<13> He shot me in the stomach
with his arrows.
<14> I have become a joke to all of my people.
All day long they sing songs about me and make fun of me.
<15> The Lord gave me this poison to drink.
He filled me with this bitter drink.
<16> He pushed my teeth into rocky ground.
He pushed me into the dirt.
<17> I thought I would never have peace again.
I forgot about good things.
<18> I said to myself, “I no longer have any hope
that the Lord will help me.”
<19> Lord, remember, I am very sad,
and I have no home.
Remember the bitter poison that you gave me.
<20> I remember well all my troubles,
and I am very sad.
<21> But then I think about this,
and I have hope:
<22> We are still alive because
the Lord’s faithful love never ends.
<23> Every morning he shows it in new ways!
Lord, you are so very true and loyal!
<24> I say to myself, “The Lord is my God,
and I trust him.”[20]
<25> The Lord is good to those who wait for him.
He is good to those who look for him.
<26> It is good to wait quietly
for the Lord to save them.
<27> It is good for a man to wear his yoke[21]
from the time he is young.
<28> He should sit alone and be quiet
when the Lord puts his yoke on him.
<29> He should bow down to the Lord.
Maybe there is still hope.
<30> He should turn his cheek to the one who hits him,
and let people insult him.
<31> He should remember that
the Lord does not reject people forever.
<32> When the Lord punishes,
he also has mercy.
He has mercy because of his great love
and kindness.
<33> The Lord does not want to punish people.
He does not like to make people unhappy.
<34> He does not like these things:
He does not like for someone to crush
all the prisoners of the earth under his feet.
<35> He does not like for someone
to be unfair to another person.
But some people do such bad things
right in front of God Most High.
<36> He does not like for a person
to cheat another person.
He does not like any of these things.
<37> Nobody can say something and have it happen,
unless the Lord orders it to happen.
<38> God Most High commands
both good and bad things to happen.
<39> No one alive can complain
when the Lord punishes them for their sins.
<40> Let us check and see what we have done.
Then let us turn back to the Lord.
<41> Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to the God of heaven.
<42> Let us say to him, “We have sinned and have been stubborn.
Because of this, you have not forgiven us.
<43> You wrapped yourself with anger.
You chased us.
You killed us without mercy!
<44> You wrapped yourself in a cloud.
You did that so that no prayer could get through.
<45> You made us like garbage and dirt
to the other nations.
<46> All of our enemies
speak angrily against us.
<47> We have been frightened.
We have fallen into a pit.
We have been badly hurt.
We have been broken.”
<48> My eyes flow with streams of tears.
I cry because of the destruction of my people.
<49> My eyes will flow without stopping.
I will keep on crying.
<50> I will continue to cry
until you look down and see us, Lord!
I will continue to cry
until you see us from heaven.
<51> My eyes make me sad, when I see
what happened to the young women in my city.
<52> For no reason, my enemies hunted me like a bird.
<53> They threw me alive into a pit
and then threw stones at me.
<54> Water came up over my head.
I said to myself, “I am finished.”
<55> Lord, I called your name
from the bottom of the pit.
<56> You heard my voice.
You didn’t close your ears.
You didn’t refuse to rescue me.
<57> You came to me on the day that I called out to you.
You said to me, “Don’t be afraid.”
<58> Lord, you defended me
and bought me back to life.
<59> Lord, you have seen my trouble.
Now judge my case for me.
<60> You have seen how my enemies
have hurt me.
You have seen all the evil plans
that they made against me.
<61> You heard them insult me, Lord.
You have heard all the evil plans that they made against me.
<62> The words and the thoughts of my enemies
are against me all the time—
<63> when they sit down and when they stand up.
Look how they make fun of me!
<64> Give them back what they deserve, Lord.
Pay them back for what they have done.
<65> Make them stubborn
and then curse them.
<66> Chase them in anger and destroy them.
Wipe them off the face of the earth, Lord!
4 <1> See how the gold has grown dark,
how the good gold is changed.
There are jewels[22] scattered all around
at every street corner.
<2> The people of Zion[23] were worth a lot.
They were worth their weight in gold.
But now the enemy treats them
like old clay jars.
The enemy treats them
like clay jars made by a potter.
<3> Even a wild dog feeds her babies.
Even the jackal lets her pups suck at her breast.
But the daughter of my people[24] is cruel.
She is like the ostrich in the desert that forgets its eggs in the sand.
<4> Babies are so thirsty
their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths.
Young children ask for bread,
but no one gives them any.
<5> Those who ate rich food
are now dying in the streets.
Those who grew up wearing nice red clothes
now pick through garbage piles.
<6> The sin of the daughter of my people
was very great.
Their sin was greater than the sins
of Sodom[25] and Gomorrah.[26]
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed suddenly.
No human hand caused their destruction.[27]
<7> Some of the men of Judah
were dedicated[28] to God in a special way.
They were very pure.
They were whiter than snow,
and whiter than milk.
Their bodies were red like coral
and their beards like sapphire stones.
<8> But now their faces are blacker than soot.
No one even recognizes them in the streets.
Their skin is wrinkled over their bones.
Their skin is like wood.
<9> It was better for those who were killed by the sword
than for those who died of hunger.
Those starving people were sad and hurt.
They died because they got no food from the field.
<10> Then even nice women
cooked their own children.
The children were food
for their mothers.
This happened when my people
were destroyed.
<11> The Lord used all of his anger.
He poured out all his anger.
He made a fire in Zion
that burned it down to the foundations.
<12> The kings of the earth could not believe
what had happened.
The people of the world could not believe
what had happened.
They could not believe
that enemies would be able to come through the city gates of Jerusalem.
<13> This happened because the prophets
of Jerusalem sinned.
This happened because the priests
of Jerusalem did evil things.
They were shedding the blood of good people
in the city of Jerusalem.
<14> The prophets and priests walked around
like blind men in the streets.
They had become dirty with blood.
No one could even touch their clothes because they were dirty.
<15> People shouted, “Go away!
Go away! Don’t touch us.”
They wandered around and had no home.
People in other nations said,
“We don’t want them to live with us.”
<16> The Lord himself destroyed them.
He didn’t look after them anymore.
He didn’t respect the priests.
He was not friendly to the elders[29] of Judah.
<17> We have worn out our eyes looking for help,
but no help comes.
We kept on looking for a nation to save us.
We kept watch from our watchtower,
but no nation came to us.
<18> Our enemies hunted us all the time.
We could not even go out into the streets.
Our end came near. Our time was up.
Our end came!
<19> The men who chased us
were faster than eagles in the sky.
They chased us into the mountains.
They hid in the desert to catch us.
<20> The king was very important to us.
He was like the breath we breathe,
but he was trapped by them.
The Lord himself chose the king, and we said this about the king,
“We will live in his shadow.
He protects us from the nations.”
<21> Be happy, people of Edom.
Be happy, you who live in the land of Uz.
But remember, the cup of the Lord’s anger
will come around to you too.
When you drink from that cup,
you will get drunk and strip off all your clothes.
<22> Your punishment is complete, Zion.
You will not go into captivity again.
But the Lord will punish your sins, people of Edom.
He will uncover your sins.
5 <1> Remember, Lord, what happened to us.
Look and see our shame.
<2> Our land has been turned over to strangers.
Our houses have been given to foreigners.
<3> We have become orphans.
We have no father.
Our mothers have become like widows.
<4> We have to buy the water that we drink.
We have to pay for the wood that we use.
<5> We are forced to wear a yoke[30] on our necks.
We get tired, and we have no rest.
<6> We made an agreement with Egypt.
We also made an agreement with Assyria[31] to get enough bread.
<7> Our ancestors sinned against you.
Now they are dead.
Now we are suffering because of their sins.
<8> Slaves have become our rulers.
No one can save us from them.
<9> We risk our lives to get food.
There are men in the desert with swords.
<10> Our skin is hot like an oven.
We have a high fever because of our hunger.
<11> The enemy raped the women of Zion.[32]
They raped the women in the cities of Judah.
<12> The enemy hanged our princes.
They didn’t honor our elders.
<13> The enemy made our young men
grind grain at the mill.
Our young men stumbled
under loads of wood.
<14> The elders no longer sit at the gates of the city.
The young men no longer make music.
<15> We have no more joy in our hearts.
Our dancing has changed to crying for the dead.
<16> The crown has fallen from our head.
Things have gone bad for us because we sinned.
<17> For this reason our hearts have become sick,
and our eyes cannot see clearly.
<18> Mount Zion is a wasteland.
Foxes run around on Mount Zion.
<19> But you rule forever, Lord.
Your kingly chair lasts forever and ever.
<20> You seem to have forgotten us forever.
You seem to have left us alone for such a long time.
<21> Bring us back to you, Lord.
We will gladly come back to you.
Make our lives as they were before.
<22> You were very angry with us.
Have you completely rejected us?
[1] 1:1 she Throughout this poem, the city of Jerusalem is represented as a woman.
[2] 1:3 where … way out Or, “in the narrow valleys.”
[3] 1:4 Zion The southeastern part of the mountain that Jerusalem is built on. Sometimes it means the city of Jerusalem, the people of God living there, or the Temple.
[4] 1:4 have been taken away This follows the ancient Greek version. The Hebrew has “are upset.”
[5] 1:6 Daughter Zion Another name for Jerusalem.
[6] 1:14 yoke A pole that was put across the shoulders of men, usually slaves, or animals and used in pulling or carrying heavy loads.
[7] 1:15 Virgin Daughter Judah A name for the city of Jerusalem.
[8] 1:17 Jacob Another name for Israel (see Gen. 32:24-28), ancestor of the people of Israel (also called Israelites and, later, Jews). He was the father of twelve sons from whom the twelve tribes of Israel descended.
[9] 2:1 Daughter Zion Another name for Jerusalem. Also in verses 8, 13.
[10] 2:2 Jacob Another name for Israel (see Gen. 32:24-28), ancestor of the people of Israel (also called Israelites and, later, Jews). He was the father of twelve sons from whom the twelve tribes of Israel descended.
[11] 2:2 Daughter Judah Another name for Jerusalem. Also in verse 5.
[12] 2:6 his own tent This is a reference to the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem.
[13] 2:6 special days of rest Or, “Sabbaths.” This might mean Saturday, or it might mean all the special days when the people were not supposed to work.
[14] 2:9 vision Something like a dream used by God to speak to people.
[15] 2:10 Zion The southeastern part of the mountain that Jerusalem is built on. Sometimes it means the city of Jerusalem, the people of God living there, or the Temple.
[16] 2:10 sackcloth A rough cloth made from animal hair that people sometimes wore to show sadness.
[17] 2:15 Daughter Jerusalem Another name for Jerusalem.
[18] 2:18 Cry out The Hebrew says, “Their hearts cried out.”
[19] 2:18 Daughter Zion Another name for Jerusalem.
[20] 3:24 The Lord … him Or, “The Lord is my portion and I trust him.
[21] 3:27 yoke A pole that was put across the shoulders of men, usually slaves, or animals and used in pulling or carrying heavy loads.
[22] 4:1 jewels Here, the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain.
[23] 4:2 Zion The southeastern part of the mountain that Jerusalem is built on. Sometimes it means the city of Jerusalem, the people of God living there, or the Temple.
[24] 4:3 daughter of my people Another name for Jerusalem. Also in verse 6.
[25] 4:6 Sodom A city that God destroyed, together with the city of Gomorrah, because the people living there were so evil. See Gen. 19.
[26] 4:6 Gomorrah A city that God destroyed, together with the city of Sodom, because the people living there were so evil. See Gen. 19.
[27] 4:6 No human hand … destruction The Hebrew of this line is unclear.
[28] 4:7 dedicate To set apart something for God or for a special purpose, which means it can then be used only for that purpose.
[29] 4:16 elders (Old Testament) Older men who were city leaders and helped make decisions for the people.
[30] 5:5 yoke A pole that was put across the shoulders of men, usually slaves, or animals and used in pulling or carrying heavy loads.
[31] 5:6 Assyria A powerful nation northeast of Israel.
[32] 5:11 Zion The southeastern part of the mountain that Jerusalem is built on. Sometimes it means the city of Jerusalem, the people of God living there, or the Temple.