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Lamentations 1
New American Standard Bible 1995
Lamentations 1
New American Standard Bible 1995
The Sorrows of Zion
1 How (A)lonely sits the city
That was (B)full of people!
She has become like a (C)widow
Who was once (D)great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the [a]provinces
Has become a (E)forced laborer!
2 She (F)weeps bitterly in the night
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has none to comfort her
Among all her (G)lovers.
All her friends have (H)dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
3 (I)Judah has gone into exile [b]under affliction
And [c]under [d]harsh servitude;
She dwells (J)among the nations,
But she has found no rest;
All (K)her pursuers have overtaken her
In the midst of [e]distress.
4 The roads [f]of Zion are in mourning
Because (L)no one comes to the appointed feasts.
All her gates are (M)desolate;
Her priests are groaning,
Her (N)virgins are afflicted,
And she herself [g]is (O)bitter.
5 Her adversaries have become [h]her masters,
Her enemies [i]prosper;
For the Lord has (P)caused her grief
Because of the multitude of her transgressions;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives before the adversary.
6 All her (Q)majesty
Has departed from the daughter of Zion;
Her princes have become like deer
That have found no pasture;
And they have [j](R)fled without strength
Before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness
(S)Jerusalem remembers all her precious things
That were from the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And (T)no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They (U)mocked at her [k]ruin.
8 Jerusalem sinned (V)greatly,
Therefore (W)she has become an unclean thing.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even (X)she herself groans and turns away.
9 Her (Y)uncleanness was in her skirts;
She [l]did not consider her (Z)future.
Therefore she has [m](AA)fallen astonishingly;
(AB)She has no comforter.
“(AC)See, O Lord, my affliction,
For the enemy has (AD)magnified himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the (AE)nations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they should (AF)not enter into Your congregation.
11 All her people groan (AG)seeking bread;
They have given their precious things for food
To (AH)restore their [n]lives themselves.
“See, O Lord, and look,
For I am (AI)despised.”
12 “Is (AJ)it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any [o]pain like my [p]pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the (AK)Lord inflicted on the day of His (AL)fierce anger.
13 “From on high He sent fire into my (AM)bones,
And it [q]prevailed over them.
He has spread a (AN)net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me (AO)desolate,
[r]Faint all day long.
14 “The (AP)yoke of my transgressions is bound;
By His hand they are knit together.
They have (AQ)come upon my neck;
He has made my strength [s]fail.
The Lord (AR)has given me into the hands
Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The (AS)Lord has rejected all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed [t]time against me
To crush my (AT)young men;
The Lord has (AU)trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I (AV)weep;
[u]My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a (AW)comforter,
One who restores my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion (AX)stretches out her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has (AY)commanded concerning Jacob
That the ones round about him should be his adversaries;
(AZ)Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 “The Lord is (BA)righteous;
For I have (BB)rebelled against His [v]command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And (BC)behold my [w]pain;
(BD)My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 “I (BE)called to my lovers, but they deceived me;
My (BF)priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to (BG)restore [x]their strength themselves.
20 “See, O Lord, for I am in distress;
My [y](BH)spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very (BI)rebellious.
In the street the sword [z]slays;
In the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I (BJ)groan;
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of my [aa]calamity;
They are (BK)glad that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
That they may become (BL)like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You;
And (BM)deal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
Footnotes
- Lamentations 1:1 Or districts
- Lamentations 1:3 Or by reason of
- Lamentations 1:3 Or by reason of
- Lamentations 1:3 Lit great
- Lamentations 1:3 Or narrow places
- Lamentations 1:4 Or to
- Lamentations 1:4 Or suffers bitterly
- Lamentations 1:5 Lit head
- Lamentations 1:5 Or are at ease
- Lamentations 1:6 Lit gone
- Lamentations 1:7 Lit cessation
- Lamentations 1:9 Lit did not remember her latter end
- Lamentations 1:9 Lit come down
- Lamentations 1:11 Lit soul
- Lamentations 1:12 Or sorrow
- Lamentations 1:12 Or sorrow
- Lamentations 1:13 Or descended, overthrew
- Lamentations 1:13 Or Sick
- Lamentations 1:14 Lit stumble
- Lamentations 1:15 Or feast
- Lamentations 1:16 Lit My eye, my eye
- Lamentations 1:18 Lit mouth
- Lamentations 1:18 Or sorrow
- Lamentations 1:19 Lit their soul
- Lamentations 1:20 Lit inward parts are in ferment
- Lamentations 1:20 Lit bereaves
- Lamentations 1:21 Lit evil
Lamentations 1
New International Version
Lamentations 1
New International Version
1 [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)
2 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)
3 After affliction and harsh labor,
Judah has gone into exile.(J)
She dwells among the nations;
she finds no resting place.(K)
All who pursue her have overtaken her(L)
in the midst of her distress.
4 The roads to Zion mourn,(M)
for no one comes to her appointed festivals.
All her gateways are desolate,(N)
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she is in bitter anguish.(O)
5 Her foes have become her masters;
her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief(P)
because of her many sins.(Q)
Her children have gone into exile,(R)
captive before the foe.(S)
6 All the splendor has departed
from Daughter Zion.(T)
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled(U)
before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and wandering
Jerusalem remembers all the treasures
that were hers in days of old.
When her people fell into enemy hands,
there was no one to help her.(V)
Her enemies looked at her
and laughed(W) at her destruction.
8 Jerusalem has sinned(X) greatly
and so has become unclean.(Y)
All who honored her despise her,
for they have all seen her naked;(Z)
she herself groans(AA)
and turns away.
9 Her filthiness clung to her skirts;
she did not consider her future.(AB)
Her fall(AC) was astounding;
there was none to comfort(AD) her.
“Look, Lord, on my affliction,(AE)
for the enemy has triumphed.”
10 The enemy laid hands
on all her treasures;(AF)
she saw pagan nations
enter her sanctuary(AG)—
those you had forbidden(AH)
to enter your assembly.
11 All her people groan(AI)
as they search for bread;(AJ)
they barter their treasures for food
to keep themselves alive.
“Look, Lord, and consider,
for I am despised.”
12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?(AK)
Look around and see.
Is any suffering like my suffering(AL)
that was inflicted on me,
that the Lord brought on me
in the day of his fierce anger?(AM)
13 “From on high he sent fire,
sent it down into my bones.(AN)
He spread a net(AO) for my feet
and turned me back.
He made me desolate,(AP)
faint(AQ) all the day long.
14 “My sins have been bound into a yoke[b];(AR)
by his hands they were woven together.
They have been hung on my neck,
and the Lord has sapped my strength.
He has given me into the hands(AS)
of those I cannot withstand.
15 “The Lord has rejected
all the warriors in my midst;(AT)
he has summoned an army(AU) against me
to[c] crush my young men.(AV)
In his winepress(AW) the Lord has trampled(AX)
Virgin Daughter(AY) Judah.
16 “This is why I weep
and my eyes overflow with tears.(AZ)
No one is near to comfort(BA) me,
no one to restore my spirit.
My children are destitute
because the enemy has prevailed.”(BB)
17 Zion stretches out her hands,(BC)
but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has decreed for Jacob
that his neighbors become his foes;(BD)
Jerusalem has become
an unclean(BE) thing(BF) among them.
18 “The Lord is righteous,(BG)
yet I rebelled(BH) against his command.
Listen, all you peoples;
look on my suffering.(BI)
My young men and young women
have gone into exile.(BJ)
19 “I called to my allies(BK)
but they betrayed me.
My priests and my elders
perished(BL) in the city
while they searched for food
to keep themselves alive.
20 “See, Lord, how distressed(BM) I am!
I am in torment(BN) within,
and in my heart I am disturbed,(BO)
for I have been most rebellious.(BP)
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is only death.(BQ)
Footnotes
- Lamentations 1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Lamentations 1:14 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint He kept watch over my sins
- Lamentations 1:15 Or has set a time for me / when he will
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.