1 The Sorrows of Zion The writings of the prophets are not only valuable contributions to Old Testament history, but the reader is also enriched by familiarity with the forecasts of events which have been fulfilled, thus revealing the divine inspiration of the books and the wisdom and power of the God who prompted their writings.How solitaryandlonely sits the city [Jerusalem]That was [once] full of people!How like a widow she has become.She who was great among the nations!The princess among the provinces,Has become a forced laborer!
2 She weeps bitterly in the nightAnd her tears are [constantly] on her cheeks;Among all her lovers (political allies)She has no one to comfort her.All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;They have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into exile under afflictionAnd under harsh servitude;She dwells among the [pagan] nations,But she has found no rest;All her pursuers have overtaken herIn the midst of [her] distress.
4 The roads to Zion are in mourningBecause no one comes to the appointed feasts.All her gates are desolate;Her priests are groaning,Her virgins are grievedandsuffering,And she suffers bitterly.
5 Her adversaries have become her masters,Her enemies prosper;For the Lhas caused her griefBecause of the multitude of her transgressions;Her young children have goneInto captivity before the enemy.
6 All her beautyandmajestyHave departed from the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem).Her princes have become like deerThat have found no pasture;They have fled without strengthBefore the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessnessJerusalem remembers all her precious thingsThat she had from the days of old,When her people fell into the hand of the adversary,And no one helped her,The enemy saw her,They mocked at her downfall.
8 Jerusalem sinned greatly;Therefore she has become an unclean thing [and has been removed].All who honored her [now] despise herBecause they have seen her nakedness;Even she herself groans and turns [her face] away.
9 Her (ceremonial) uncleanness was on her skirts;She did not [seriously] consider her future.Therefore she has come down [from throne to slavery] in an astonishing manner;She has no comforter.“O L” [cries Jerusalem], “look at my affliction,For the enemy has magnified himself [in triumph]!”
10 The adversary has spread out his handOver all her preciousanddesirable things;For she has seen the [Gentile] nations enter her sanctuary (the Jerusalem temple)—The Ammonites and Moabites, descendants of Lot and related to Israel, were forbidden to enter the congregation of the Lord, “even to their tenth generation,” because they refused to assist the sons of Israel when they were escaping from Egypt, and because they hired Balaam to curse Israel (Deut 23:3, 4). The Israelites never assembled any closer to the sanctuary of the temple than in the court outside its door. No Jew, not even David was authorized to enter the sanctuary proper except for certain Levites to whom such service was assigned. But now, Jeremiah says, the forbidden pagan nations enter the Holy of Holies to vandalize.The ones whom You commandedThat they should not enter into Your congregation [not even in the outer courts].
11 All her people groan, seeking bread;They have exchanged their desirableandprecious things for foodTo restore their lives.“See, O L, and considerHow despisedandrepulsive I have become!”
12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass this way?Look and see if there is any pain like my painWhich was severely dealt out to me,Which the Lhas inflicted [on me] on the day of His fierce anger.
13 From on high He sent fire into my bones,And it prevailedover them.He has spread a net for my feet;He has turned me back.He has made me desolateandhopelessly miserable,Faint all the day long.
14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound;By His hand they are knitandwoven together.They have come upon my neck.He has made my strength fail;The Lord has put me into the handOfthose against whomI cannot stand.
15 The Lord has rejected all the strong menIn my midst;He has proclaimed an established time against meTo crush my young men.The Lord has trampled down as in a wine pressThe Virgin Daughter of Judah.
16 I weep for these things;My eyes overflow with tears,Because a comforter,One who could restore my soul, is far away from me.My children are desolateandperishing,For the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion stretches out her hands,But there is no comforter for her.The Lhas commanded concerning JacobThat his neighbors should be his enemies;Jerusalem has become a filthy thing [an object of contempt] among them.
18 “The Lis righteousandjust;For I have rebelled against His commandment (His word).Hear now, all you peoples,And look at my pain;My virgins and my young menHave gone into captivity.
19 I [Jerusalem] called to my lovers (political allies), but they deceived me.My priests and my elders perished in the cityWhile they looked for food to restore their strength.
20 See, O L, how distressed I am!My spirit is deeply disturbed;My heart is overturned within meandcannot rest,For I have been very rebellious.In the street the sword killsandbereaves;In the house there is [famine, disease and] death!
21 People have heard that I groan,That I have no comforter [in You].All my enemies have heard of my desperation;They are delighted [O L] that You have done it.Oh, that You would bring the day [of judgment] which You have proclaimedSo that they will become like me.
22 Let all their wickedness come before You;And deal with them as You have dealt with meBecause of all my transgressions;For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”