Online Bible

The Sorrows of Zion

¹How ^asolitary and lonely sits the city JerusalemThat was once ^bfull of people!How like a ^cwidow she has become.She who was ^dgreat among the nations!The princess among the provinces,Has become a ^eforced laborer!2 She ^aweeps bitterly in the nightAnd her tears are constantly on her cheeks;Among all her ^blovers (political allies)She has no one to comfort her.All her friends have ^cdealt treacherously with her;They have become her enemies. Jer 3:1; 4:303 ^aJudah has gone into exile under afflictionAnd under harsh servitude;She dwells ^bamong the pagan nations,But she has found no rest;All ^cher pursuers have overtaken herIn the midst of her distress.4 The roads to Zion are in mourningBecause ^ano one comes to the appointed feasts.All her gates are ^bdesolate;Her priests are groaning,Her ^cvirgins are grieved and suffering,And she suffers ^dbitterly.5 Her adversaries have become her masters,Her enemies prosper;For the LORD has ^acaused her griefBecause of the multitude of her transgressions;Her young children have goneInto captivity before the enemy. Jer 30:14, 15; 52:28; Dan 9:7-146 All her ^abeauty and majestyHave departed from the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) .Her princes have become like deerThat have found no pasture;They have ^bfled without strengthBefore the pursuer.7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness^aJerusalem remembers all her precious thingsThat she had from the days of old,When her people fell into the hand of the adversary,And ^bno one helped her,The enemy saw her,They ^cmocked at her downfall.8 Jerusalem sinned ^agreatly;Therefore ^bshe has become an unclean thing and has been removed.All who honored her now despise herBecause they have seen her nakedness;Even ^cshe herself groans and turns her face away.9 Her (ceremonial) ^auncleanness was on her skirts;She did not seriously consider her ^bfuture.Therefore she has ^ccome down from throne to slavery in an astonishing manner;^dShe has no comforter.“O LORD” cries Jerusalem, “^elook at my affliction,For the enemy has ^fmagnified himself in triumph!”10 The adversary has spread out his handOver all her precious and desirable things;For she has seen the Gentile ^anations enter her sanctuary (the Jerusalem temple)—¹The ones whom You commandedThat they should ^bnot enter into Your congregation not even in the outer courts. Deut 23:3; Jer 51:51; Ezek 44:7, 911 All her people groan, ^aseeking bread;They have exchanged their desirable and precious things for foodTo ^brestore their lives.“See, O LORD, and considerHow ^cdespised and repulsive I have become!”12 “Is ^ait 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 ^bLORD has inflicted on me on the day of His ^cfierce anger.13 “From on high He sent fire into my ^abones,And it prevailed over them.He has spread a ^bnet for my feet;He has turned me back.He has made me ^cdesolate and hopelessly miserable,Faint all the day long.14 “The ^ayoke of my transgressions is bound;By His hand they are knit and woven together.They have ^bcome upon my neck.He has made my strength fail;The Lord ^chas put me into the handOf those against whom I cannot stand. Deut 28:4815 “The ^aLord has rejected all the strong menIn my midst;He has proclaimed an established time against meTo crush my ^byoung men.The Lord has ^ctrampled down as in a wine pressThe Virgin Daughter of Judah.16 “I ^aweep for these things;My eyes overflow with tears,Because a ^bcomforter,One who could restore my soul, is far away from me.My children are desolate and perishing,For the enemy has prevailed.” Lam 1:2117 Zion ^astretches out her hands,But there is no comforter for her.The LORD has ^bcommanded concerning JacobThat his neighbors should be his enemies;^cJerusalem has become a filthy thing an object of contempt among them.18 “The LORD is ^arighteous and just;For I have ^brebelled against His commandment (His word) .Hear now, all you peoples,And ^clook at my pain;^dMy virgins and my young menHave gone into captivity.19 “I Jerusalem ^acalled to my lovers (political allies) , but they deceived me.My ^bpriests and my elders perished in the cityWhile they looked for food to ^crestore their strength.20 “See, O LORD, how distressed I am!My ^aspirit is deeply disturbed;My heart is overturned within me and cannot rest,For I have been very ^brebellious.In the street the sword kills and bereaves;In the house there is famine, disease and death!21 “People have heard that I ^agroan,That I have no comforter in You.All my enemies have heard of my desperation;They are ^bdelighted O LORD that You have done it.Oh, that You would bring the day of judgment which You have proclaimedSo that they will become ^clike me. Is 14:5, 6; Jer 30:1622 “Let all their wickedness come before You;And ^adeal with them as You have dealt with meBecause of all my transgressions;For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”

Zion Lays Desolate

א — Aleph

How ^alonely sits the cityThat was ^bgreat with people!She has become like a ^cwidowWho was once ^dgreat among the nations!She who was a princess among the ¹provincesHas become a ^eforced laborer!

ב — Beth

2 She ^aweeps bitterly in the night,And her tears are on her cheeks;She has none to comfort herAmong all her ^blovers.All her friends have ^cdealt treacherously with her;They have become her enemies.

ג — Gimel

3 ^aJudah has gone into exile because of afflictionAnd because of great slavery;She sits ^bamong the nations,But she has found no rest;All ^cher pursuers have overtaken herIn the midst of ¹distress.

ד — Daleth

4 The roads ¹of Zion are in mourningBecause ^ano one comes to the appointed times.All her gates are ^bdesolate;Her priests are sighing,Her ^cvirgins are grieving,And she herself ²is ^dbitter.

ה — He

5 Her adversaries have become ¹her masters;Her enemies are complacent;For ²Yahweh has ^acaused her griefBecause of the greatness of her transgressions;Her infants have gone awayAs captives before the adversary.

ו — Vav

6 So all her ^amajestyHas gone out from the daughter of Zion;Her princes have become like deerThat have found no pasture;So they have ¹^bfled without strengthBefore the pursuer.

ז — Zayin

7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness^aJerusalem remembers all her precious thingsThat were from the days of old,When her people fell into the hand of the adversaryAnd ^bno one helped her.The adversaries saw her;They ^claughed at her ¹ruin.

ח — Heth

8 Jerusalem sinned ^agreatly;Therefore ^bshe has become an impure thing.All who honored her despise herBecause they have seen her nakedness;Even ^cshe herself sighs and turns away.

ט — Teth

9 Her ^auncleanness was in her skirts;She did not remember her ^bfuture.Therefore she has ^cgone down astonishingly;^dShe has no comforter.“^eSee, O Yahweh, my affliction,For the enemy has ^fmagnified himself!”

י — Yodh

10 The adversary has stretched out his handOver all her desirable things,For she has seen the ^anations enter her sanctuary,The ones whom You commandedThat they should ^bnot enter into Your assembly.

כ — Kaph

11 All her people are sighing, ^aseeking bread;They have given their desirable things for foodTo ^brestore their souls.“See, O Yahweh, and look,For I am ^cdespised.”

ל — Lamedh

12 “Is ^ait nothing to all you who pass this way?Look and see if there is any ¹pain like my ²painWhich was dealt severely to me,Which ^bYahweh grieved me with on the day of His ^cburning anger.

מ — Mem

13 “From on high He sent fire into my ^abones,And it dominated them.He has spread a ^bnet for my feet;He has turned me back;He has made me ^cdesolate,¹Faint all day long.

נ — Nun

14 “The ^ayoke of my transgressions is bound;By His hand they are knit together.They have ^bcome upon my neck;He has made my strength stumble.The Lord ^chas given me into the handsOf those against whom I am not able to stand.

ס — Samekh

15 “The ^aLord has rejected all my mighty menIn my midst;He has called an appointed time against meTo break my ^byoung men;The Lord has ^ctrodden as in a wine pressThe virgin daughter of Judah.

ע — Ayin

16 “For these things I ^aam weeping;¹My eyes run down with water;Because far from me is a ^bcomforter,One who restores my soul.My children are desolateBecause the enemy has prevailed.”

פ — Pe

17 Zion ^astretches out her hands;There is no one to comfort her;Yahweh has ^bcommanded concerning JacobThat the ones round about him should be his adversaries;^cJerusalem has become an impure thing among them.

צ — Tsadhe

18 “Yahweh is ^arighteous;For I have ^brebelled against His ¹command;Hear now, all peoples,And ^cbehold my ²pain;^dMy virgins and my young menHave gone into captivity.

ק — Qoph

19 “I ^acalled to my lovers, but they deceived me;My ^bpriests and my elders breathed their last in the cityWhile they sought food for themselves in order to ^crestore their souls.

ר — Resh

20 “See, O Yahweh, for I am in distress;My ¹^ainmost being is greatly disturbed;My heart is overturned within me,For I have been very ^brebellious.In the street the sword bereaves;In the house it is like death.

ש — Shin

21 “They have heard that I ^aam sighing;There is no one to comfort me;All my enemies have heard of the ¹evil done to me;They ^brejoice that You have done it.You have brought the day which You have proclaimed,So that they will become ^clike me.

ת — Tav

22 “Let all their evil come before You;And ^adeal severely with them as You have dealt severely with meFor all my transgressions;For my groans are great and my heart is faint.”