²⁴ They will be weak from hunger,
ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague;
I will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs,
as well as venomous snakes that slither in the dust.

⁸ The highways are deserted;
travel has ceased.
An agreement has been broken,^(A)
cities^[a] despised,
and human life disregarded.

1 How^[a] she sits alone,^(A)
the city^(B) once crowded with people!
She who was great among the nations
has become like a widow.^(C)
The princess among the provinces
has been put to forced labor.

² She weeps aloud during the night,^(D)
with tears on her cheeks.
There is no one to offer her comfort,
not one from all her lovers.^[b](E)
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.

³ Judah has gone into exile
following^[c] affliction and harsh slavery;
she lives among the nations
but finds no place to rest.^(F)
All her pursuers have overtaken her
in narrow places.

⁴ The roads to Zion^(G) mourn,
for no one comes to the appointed festivals.^(H)
All her gates are deserted;
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she herself is bitter.