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Jerusalem Cries over Her Destruction

Jerusalem once was full of people.
    But now the city is empty.
Jerusalem once was a great city among the nations.
    But now she[a] has become like a widow.
She was like a queen of all the other cities.
    But now she is a slave.

She cries loudly at night.
    Tears are on her cheeks.
There is no one to comfort her.
    All her lovers are gone.
All her friends have turned against her.
    They have become her enemies.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:1 she In this poem the city of Jerusalem is described as a woman.

[a]How deserted(A) lies the city,
    once so full of people!(B)
How like a widow(C) is she,
    who once was great(D) among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
    has now become a slave.(E)

Bitterly she weeps(F) at night,
    tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers(G)
    there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed(H) her;
    they have become her enemies.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.