א (Alef) 1
1:1 2 Alas! 3 The city once full of people 4
now sits all alone! 5
The prominent 6 lady among the nations
has become a widow! 7
The princess 8 who once ruled the provinces 9
has become 10 a forced laborer! 11
ב (Bet)
1:2 She weeps bitterly at night;
tears stream down her cheeks. 12
She has no one to comfort her
among all her lovers. 13
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.
ג (Gimel)
1:3 Judah 14 has departed into exile
under 15 affliction and harsh oppression. 16
She 17 lives among the nations;
she has found no resting place.
All who pursued her overtook her
in 18 narrow straits. 19
ד (Dalet)
1:4 The roads to Zion 20 mourn 21
because no one 22 travels to the festivals. 23
All her city gates 24 are deserted; 25
her priests groan. 26
Her virgins grieve; 27
she is in bitter anguish! 28
ה (He)
1:5 Her foes subjugated her; 29
her enemies are at ease. 30
For the Lord afflicted her
because of her many acts of rebellion. 31
Her children went away
captive 32 before the enemy.
ו (Vav)
1:6 All of Daughter Zion’s 33 splendor 34
has departed. 35
Her leaders became like deer;
they found no pasture,
so they were too exhausted to escape 36
from the hunter. 37
ז (Zayin)
1:7 Jerusalem 38 remembers, 39
when 40 she became a poor homeless person, 41
all her treasures
that she owned in days of old. 42
When her people fell into an enemy’s grip, 43
none of her allies came to her rescue. 44
Her enemies 45 gloated over 46 her;
they sneered 47 at her downfall. 48
ח (Khet)
1:8 Jerusalem committed terrible sin; 49
therefore she became an object of scorn. 50
All who admired 51 her have despised her 52
because they have seen her nakedness. 53
She groans aloud 54
and turns away in shame. 55
ט (Tet)
1:9 Her menstrual flow 56 has soiled 57 her clothing; 58
she did not consider 59 the consequences of her sin. 60
Her demise 61 was astonishing, 62
and there was no one to comfort her.
She cried, “Look, 63 O Lord, on my 64 affliction
because my 65 enemy boasts!”
י (Yod)
1:10 An enemy grabbed 66
all her valuables. 67
Indeed she watched in horror 68 as Gentiles 69
invaded her holy temple 70 –
those whom you 71 had commanded:
“They must not enter 72 your assembly place.” 73
כ (Kaf)
1:11 All her people groaned
as they searched for a morsel of bread. 74
They exchanged 75 their valuables 76
for 77 just enough food
to stay alive. 78
“Look, O Lord! Consider 79
that I have become worthless!”
ל (Lamed)
1:12 Is it nothing to you, 80 all you who pass by on the road? 81
Look and see!
Is there any pain like mine?
The Lord 82 has afflicted me, 83
he 84 has inflicted it on me
when 85 he burned with anger. 86
מ (Mem)
1:13 He sent down fire 87
into my bones, and it overcame 88 them.
He spread out a trapper’s net 89 for my feet;
he made me turn back.
He has made me desolate;
I am faint all day long.
נ (Nun)
1:14 My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke; 90
they are fastened together by his hand.
He has placed his yoke 91 on my neck; 92
he has sapped my strength. 93
The Lord 94 has handed me over 95
to those whom I cannot resist.
ס (Samek)
1:15 He rounded up 96 all my mighty ones; 97
The Lord 98 did this 99 in 100 my midst.
He summoned an assembly 101 against me
to shatter my young men.
The Lord has stomped like grapes 102
the virgin daughter, Judah. 103
ע (Ayin)
1:16 I weep because of these things;
my eyes 104 flow with tears. 105
For there is no one in sight who can comfort me 106
or encourage me. 107
My children 108 are desolated 109
because an enemy has prevailed.
פ (Pe)
1:17 Zion spread out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has issued a decree against Jacob;
his neighbors 110 have become his enemies.
Jerusalem has become
like filthy garbage 111 in their midst. 112
צ (Tsade)
1:18 The Lord is right to judge me! 113
Yes, I rebelled against his commands. 114
Please listen, all you nations, 115
and look at my suffering!
My young women and men
have gone into exile.
ק (Qof)
1:19 I called for my lovers, 116
but they had deceived me.
My priests and my elders
perished in the city.
Truly they had 117 searched for food
to 118 keep themselves 119 alive. 120
ר (Resh)
1:20 Look, O Lord! I am distressed; 121
my stomach is in knots! 122
My heart is pounding 123 inside me.
Yes, I was terribly rebellious! 124
Out in the street the sword bereaves a mother of her children; 125
Inside the house death is present. 126
ש (Sin/Shin)
1:21 They have heard 127 that I groan,
yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
they are glad that you 128 have brought it about. 129
Bring about 130 the day of judgment 131 that you promised 132
so that 133 they may end up 134 like me!
ת (Tav)
1:22 Let all their wickedness come before you;
afflict 135 them
just as you have afflicted 136 me 137
because of all my acts of rebellion. 138
For my groans are many,
and my heart is sick with sorrow. 139
א (Alef)
2:1 Alas! 140 The Lord 141 has covered
Daughter Zion 142 with his anger. 143
He has thrown down the splendor of Israel
from heaven to earth;
he did not protect 144 his temple 145
when he displayed his anger. 146
ב (Bet)
2:2 The Lord 147 destroyed 148 mercilessly 149
all the homes of Jacob’s descendants. 150
In his anger he tore down
the fortified cities 151 of Daughter Judah.
He knocked to the ground and humiliated
the kingdom and its rulers. 152
ג (Gimel)
2:3 In fierce anger 153 he destroyed 154
the whole army 155 of Israel.
He withdrew his right hand 156
as the enemy attacked. 157
He was like a raging fire in the land of Jacob; 158
it consumed everything around it. 159
ד (Dalet)
2:4 He prepared his bow 160 like an enemy;
his right hand was ready to shoot. 161
Like a foe he killed everyone,
even our strong young men; 162
he has poured out his anger like fire
on the tent 163 of Daughter Zion.
ה (He)
2:5 The Lord, 164 like an enemy,
destroyed 165 Israel.
He destroyed 166 all her palaces;
he ruined her 167 fortified cities.
He made everyone in Daughter Judah
mourn and lament. 168
ו (Vav)
2:6 He destroyed his temple 169 as if it were a vineyard; 170
he destroyed his appointed meeting place.
The Lord has made those in Zion forget
both the festivals and the Sabbaths. 171
In his fierce anger 172 he has spurned 173
both king and priest.
ז (Zayin)
2:7 The Lord 174 rejected 175 his altar
and abhorred his temple. 176
He handed over to the enemy 177
her palace walls;
the enemy 178 shouted 179 in the Lord’s temple
as if it were a feast day. 180
ח (Khet)
2:8 The Lord was determined to tear down
Daughter Zion’s wall.
He prepared to knock it down; 181
he did not withdraw his hand from destroying. 182
He made the ramparts and fortified walls lament;
together they mourned their ruin. 183
ט (Tet)
2:9 Her city gates have fallen 184 to the ground;
he smashed to bits 185 the bars that lock her gates. 186
Her king and princes were taken into exile; 187
there is no more guidance available. 188
As for her prophets,
they no longer receive 189 a vision from the Lord.
י (Yod)
2:10 The elders of Daughter Zion
sit 190 on the ground in silence. 191
They have thrown dirt on their heads;
They have dressed in sackcloth. 192
Jerusalem’s young women 193 stare down at the ground. 194
כ (Kaf)
2:11 My eyes are worn out 195 from weeping; 196
my stomach is in knots. 197
My heart 198 is poured out on the ground
due to the destruction 199 of my helpless people; 200
children and infants faint
in the town squares.
ל (Lamed)
2:12 Children 201 say to their mothers, 202
“Where are food and drink?” 203
They faint 204 like a wounded warrior
in the city squares.
They die slowly 205
in their mothers’ arms. 206
מ (Mem)
2:13 With what can I equate 207 you?
To what can I compare you, O Daughter Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you 208
so that 209 I might comfort you, O Virgin Daughter Zion?
Your wound is as deep 210 as the sea. 211
Who can heal you? 212
נ (Nun)
2:14 Your prophets saw visions for you
that were worthless lies. 213
They failed to expose your sin
so as to restore your fortunes. 214
They saw oracles for you
that were worthless 215 lies.
ס (Samek)
2:15 All who passed by on the road
clapped their hands to mock you. 216
They sneered and shook their heads
at Daughter Jerusalem.
“Ha! Is this the city they called 217
‘The perfection of beauty, 218
the source of joy of the whole earth!’?” 219
פ (Pe)
2:16 All your enemies
gloated over you. 220
They sneered and gnashed their teeth;
they said, “We have destroyed 221 her!
Ha! We have waited a long time for this day.
We have lived to see it!” 222
ע (Ayin)
2:17 The Lord has done what he planned;
he has fulfilled 223 his promise 224
that he threatened 225 long ago: 226
He has overthrown you without mercy 227
and has enabled the enemy to gloat over you;
he has exalted your adversaries’ power. 228
צ (Tsade)
2:18 Cry out 229 from your heart 230 to the Lord, 231
O wall of Daughter Zion! 232
Make your tears flow like a river
all day and all night long! 233
Do not rest;
do not let your tears 234 stop!
ק (Qof)
2:19 Get up! Cry out in the night 235
when the night watches start! 236
Pour out your heart 237 like water
before the face of the Lord! 238
Lift up your hands 239 to him
for your children’s lives; 240
they are fainting 241
at every street corner. 242
ר (Resh)
2:20 Look, O Lord! Consider! 243
Whom have you ever afflicted 244 like this?
Should women eat their offspring, 245
their healthy infants? 246
Should priest and prophet
be killed in the Lord’s 247 sanctuary?
ש (Sin/Shin)
2:21 The young boys and old men
lie dead on the ground in the streets.
My young women 248 and my young men
have fallen by the sword.
You killed them when you were angry; 249
you slaughtered them without mercy. 250
ת (Tav)
2:22 As if it were a feast day, you call 251
enemies 252 to terrify me 253 on every side. 254
On the day of the Lord’s anger
no one escaped or survived.
My enemy has finished off
those healthy infants whom I bore 255 and raised. 256