Lamentations 1

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	NEW JERUSALEM
1 How lonely she is now, the once crowded city! Widowed is she who was mistress over nations; The princess among the provinces has been made a toiling slave.	1 How deserted she sits, the city once thronged with people! Once the greatest of nations, she is nowlike a widow. Once the princess of states, she is now put to forced labour.
2 Bitterly she weeps at night, tears upon her cheeks, With not one to console her of all her dear ones; Her friends have all betrayed her and become her enemies.	2 Al night long she is weeping, tears running down her cheeks. Not one of al her lovers remains tocomfort her. Her friends have al betrayed her and become her enemies.
3 Judah has fled into exile from oppression and cruel slavery; Yet where she lives among the nations she finds no place to rest: All her persecutors come upon her where she is narrowly confined.	3 Judah has gone into exile after much pain and toil. Living among the nations she finds no respite; herpersecutors al overtake her where there is no way out.
4 The roads to Zion mourn for lack of pilgrims going to her feasts; All her gateways are deserted, her priests groan, Her virgins sigh; she is in bitter grief.	4 The roads to Zion are in mourning; no one comes to her festivals now. Her gateways are al deserted;her priests groan; her young girls are grief-stricken; she suffers bitterly.
5 Her foes are uppermost, her enemies are at ease; The LORD has punished her for her many sins. Her little ones have gone away, captive before the foe.	5 Her foes now have the upper hand, her enemies prosper, for Yahweh has made her suffer for hermany, many crimes; her children have gone away into captivity driven in front of the oppressor.
6 Gone from daughter Zion is all her glory: Her princes, like rams that find no pasture, Have gone off without strength before their captors.	6 And from the daughter of Zion al her splendour has departed. Her princes were like stags which couldfind no pasture, exhausted, as they flee before the hunter.
7 Jerusalem is mindful of the days of her wretched homelessness, When her people fell into enemy hands, and she had no one to help her; When her foes gloated over her, laughed at her ruin.	7 Jerusalem remembers her days of misery and distress; when her people fel into the enemy's clutchesthere was no one to help her. Her enemies looked on and laughed at her downfal .
8 Through the sin of which she is guilty, Jerusalem is defiled; All who esteemed her think her vile now that they see her nakedness; She herself groans and turns away.	8 Jerusalem has sinned so gravely that she has become a thing unclean. All who used to honour herdespise her, having seen her nakedness; she herself groans aloud and turns her face away.
9 Her filth is on her skirt; she gave no thought how she would end. Astounding is her downfall, with no one to console her. Look, O LORD, upon her misery, for the enemy has triumphed!	9 Her filth befouls her skirts -- she never thought to end like this, and hence her astonishing fal with noone to comfort her. Yahweh, look at my misery, for the enemy is triumphant!
10 The foe stretched out his hand to all her treasures; She has seen those nations enter her sanctuary Whom you forbade to come into your assembly.	10 The enemy stretched out his hand for everything she treasured; she saw the heathen enter hersanctuary, whom you had forbidden to enter your Assembly.
11 All her people groan, searching for bread; They give their treasures for food, to retain the breath of life. "Look O LORD, and see how worthless I have become!	11 Al her people are groaning, looking for something to eat; they have bartered their treasures for food,to keep themselves alive. Look, Yahweh, and consider how despised I am!
12 "Come, all you who pass by the way, look and see Whether there is any suffering like my suffering, which has been dealt me When the LORD afflicted me on the day of his blazing wrath.	12 Al you who pass this way, look and see: is any sorrow like the sorrow inflicted on me, with whichYahweh struck me on the day of his burning anger?
13 "From on high he sent fire down into my very frame; He spread a net for my feet, and overthrew me. He left me desolate, in pain all the day.	13 He sent fire from on high deep into my bones; he stretched a net for my feet, he pulled me back; heleft me shattered, sick al day long.
14 "He has kept watch over my sins; by his hand they have been plaited: They have settled about my neck, he has brought my strength to its knees; The Lord has delivered me into their grip, I am unable to rise.	14 He has watched out for my offences, with his hand he enmeshes me, his yoke is on my neck, he hasdeprived me of strength. The Lord has put me into clutches which I am helpless to resist.
15 "All the mighty ones in my midst the Lord has cast away; He summoned an army against me to crush my young men; The LORD has trodden in the wine press virgin daughter Judah.	15 The Lord has rejected all my warriors within my walls, he has summoned a host against me to crushmy young men; in the winepress the Lord trampled the young daughter of Judah.
16 "At this I weep, my eyes run with tears: Far from me are all who could console me, any who might revive me; My sons were reduced to silence when the enemy prevailed."	16 And that is why I weep; my eyes stream with water, since a comforter who could revive me is faraway. My children are shattered, for the enemy has proved too strong.
17 Zion stretched out her hands, but there was no one to console her; The LORD gave orders against Jacob for his neighbors to be his foes; Jerusalem has become in their midst a thing unclean.	17 Zion stretches out her hands, with no one to comfort her. Yahweh has commanded Jacob's enemiesto surround him; they treat Jerusalem as though she were unclean.
18 "The LORD is just; I had defied his command. Listen, all you peoples, and behold my suffering: My maidens and my youths have gone into captivity.	18 Yahweh is in the right, for I rebel ed against his command. Listen, al you peoples, and see my sorrow.My young girls and my young men have gone into captivity. Qophp
19 "I cried out to my lovers, but they failed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city; Where they sought food for themselves, they found it not.	19 I cal ed to my lovers; they failed me. My priests and my elders expired in the city, as they searched forfood to keep themselves alive.
20 "Look, O LORD, upon my distress: all within me is in ferment, My heart recoils within me from my monstrous rebellion. In the streets the sword bereaves, at home death stalks.	20 Look, Yahweh. I am in distress! My inmost being is in ferment; my heart turns over inside me -- howrebellious I have been! Outside, the sword bereaves; inside it is like death.
21 "Give heed to my groaning; there is no one to console me. All my enemies rejoice at my misfortune: it is you who have wrought it. Bring on the day you have proclaimed, that they may be even as I.	21 Listen, for I am groaning, with no one to comfort me. Al my enemies have heard of my disaster, theyare glad about what you have done. Bring the Day you once foretold, so that they may be like me!
22 "Let all their evil come before you; deal with them As you have dealt with me for all my sins; My groans are many, and I am sick at heart."	22 Let al their wickedness come before you, and treat them as you have treated me for al my crimes;numberless are my groans, and I am sick at heart.