1 Hvor ensom hun sitter, den folkerike stad! Hun er blitt som en enke; den store blandt folkene, fyrstinnen i landene er blitt til træl!
2 Sårt gråter hun om natten, og hennes tårer rinner på hennes kinn; hun har ingen trøster blandt alle sine elskere; alle hennes venner har vært troløse mot henne, de er blitt hennes fiender.
3 I landflyktighet er Juda vandret, efter trengsel og megen møie; det bor iblandt folkene, har ikke funnet hvile; alle dets forfølgere har innhentet det på trange steder.
4 Veiene til Sion sørger fordi ingen kommer til festene; alle dets porter er øde, dets prester sukker, dets jomfruer er sorgfulle, og det selv er bitterlig bedrøvet.
5 Dets motstandere er blitt dets herrer, dets fiender er trygge, for Herren har lagt sorg på det for dets mange overtredelsers skyld; dets små barn har fienden ført i fangenskap.
6 Fra Sions datter svant all hennes prakt; hennes fyrster blev lik hjorter som ikke finner beite, og de gikk der uten kraft for forfølgerens åsyn.
7 I sin elendighets og landflyktighets tid kommer Jerusalem i hu alle de herligheter som hun hadde fra fordums dager; da hennes folk falt for fiendens hånd, og hun ingen hjelper hadde, da så fiendene henne, de spottet over det hun hadde tapt.
8 Storlig har Jerusalem syndet, derfor er hun blitt til en vederstyggelighet; alle de som æret henne, forakter henne, for de så hennes blusel; hun selv sukket og vendte sig bort.
9 Hennes urenhet hang ved hennes kjortelfliker; hun tenkte ikke på hvad ende det vilde ta med henne; da sank hun på underlig vis, ingen trøstet henne. Herre, se min elendighet! Fienden gjør sig stor.
10 Fienden rakte sin hånd ut efter alle hennes kostelige ting; for hun så hedninger komme inn i hennes helligdom, de som du bød ikke skulde komme inn i din menighet.
11 Alt hennes folk sukker og søker efter brød; de gir sine kostelige ting bort for mat, for å opholde livet. Se, Herre, se hvor foraktet jeg er blitt!
12 Går det eder ikke til hjerte, alle I som går forbi på veien? Sku og se om det finnes en smerte lik den smerte som er voldt mig, den som Herren har bedrøvet mig med på sin brennende vredes dag!
13 Fra det høie sendte han ild i mine ben og lot den råde; han spente ut garn for mine føtter, han støtte mig tilbake, han gjorde mig elendig, syk hele dagen.
14 Mine overtredelser er knyttet sammen ved hans hånd til et åk; sammenslynget er de lagt på min nakke; han har brutt min kraft. Herren har gitt mig i hendene på dem som jeg ikke kan stå imot.
15 Herren forkastet alle de kjemper som fantes hos mig, han kalte sammen en folkeskare mot mig for å knuse mine unge menn; Herren trådte vinpersen for jomfruen, Judas datter.
16 Over dette gråter jeg, mitt øie, mitt øie flyter bort i vann; for langt fra mig er trøsteren som kunde husvale min sjel; mine barn er ødelagt, for fienden fikk overhånd.
17 Sion rekker ut sine hender, det har ingen trøster; Herren har kalt sammen mot Jakob hans fiender rundt omkring; Jerusalem er blitt til en vederstyggelighet blandt dem.
18 Herren er rettferdig, for jeg var gjenstridig mot hans bud. Hør, alle folk, og se min smerte! Mine jomfruer og mine unge menn er gått i fangenskap.
19 Jeg ropte på mine elskere; de svek mig. Mine prester og mine eldste opgav ånden i byen da de søkte efter mat for å opholde livet.
20 Se, Herre, jeg er i trengsel! Det gjærer i mitt indre, mitt hjerte vender sig i mitt bryst; for jeg har vært gjenstridig; utenfor har sverdet gjort mig barnløs, innenfor er det som døden.
21 De hørte at jeg sukket, det var ingen som trøstet mig; alle mine fiender hørte om min ulykke, de gledet sig over at du har gjort det. Men du lar komme en dag som du har forkynt, og da skal de bli som jeg.
22 La all deres ondskap komme for ditt åsyn, og gjør mot dem som du har gjort mot mig for alle mine overtredelsers skyld! For mine sukk er mange, og mitt hjerte er sykt.
1 See her seated by herself, the town which was full of people! She who was great among the nations has become like a widow! She who was a princess among the countries has come under the yoke of forced work!
2 She is sorrowing bitterly in the night, and her face is wet with weeping; among all her lovers she has no comforter: all her friends have been false to her, they have become her haters.
3 Judah has been taken away as a prisoner because of trouble and hard work; her living-place is among the nations, there is no rest for her: all her attackers have overtaken her in a narrow place.
4 The ways of Zion are sad, because no one comes to the holy meeting; all her doorways are made waste, her priests are breathing out sorrow: her virgins are troubled, and it is bitter for her.
5 Those who are against her have become the head, everything goes well for her haters; for the Lord has sent sorrow on her because of the great number of her sins: her young children have gone away as prisoners before the attacker.
6 And all her glory has gone from the daughter of Zion: her rulers have become like harts with no place for food, and they have gone in flight without strength before the attacker.
7 Jerusalem keeps in mind, in the days of her sorrow and of her wanderings, all the desired things which were hers in days gone by; when her people came into the power of her hater and she had no helper, her attackers saw their desire effected on her and made sport of her destruction.
8 Great is the sin of Jerusalem; for this cause she has become an unclean thing: all those who gave her honour are looking down on her, because they have seen her shame: now truly, breathing out grief, she is turned back.
9 In her skirts were her unclean ways; she gave no thought to her end; and her fall has been a wonder; she has no comforter: see her sorrow, O Lord; for the attacker is lifted up.
10 The hand of her hater is stretched out over all her desired things; for she has seen that the nations have come into her holy place, about whom you gave orders that they were not to come into the meeting of your people.
11 Breathing out grief all her people are looking for bread; they have given their desired things for food to give them life: see, O Lord, and take note; for she has become a thing of shame.
12 Come to me, all you who go by! Keep your eyes on me, and see if there is any pain like the pain of my wound, which the Lord has sent on me in the day of his burning wrath.
13 From on high he has sent fire into my bones, and it has overcome them: his net is stretched out for my feet, I am turned back by him; he has made me waste and feeble all the day.
14 A watch is kept on my sins; they are joined together by his hand, they have come on to my neck; he has made my strength give way: the Lord has given me up into the hands of those against whom I have no power.
15 The Lord has made sport of all my men of war in me, he has got men together against me to send destruction on my young men: the virgin daughter of Judah has been crushed like grapes under the feet of the Lord.
16 For these things I am weeping; my eye is streaming with water; because the comforter who might give me new life is far from me: my children are made waste, because the hater is strong.
17 Zion's hands are outstretched; she has no comforter; the Lord has given orders to the attackers of Jacob round about him: Jerusalem has become like an unclean thing among them.
18 The Lord is upright; for I have gone against his orders: give ear, now, all you peoples, and see my pain, my virgins and my young men have gone away as prisoners.
19 I sent for my lovers, but they were false to me: my priests and my responsible men were breathing their last breath in the town, while they were looking for food to give them new life.
20 See, O Lord, for I am in trouble; the inmost parts of my body are deeply moved; my heart is turned in me; for I have been uncontrolled: outside the children are put to the sword, and in the house there is death.
21 Give ear to the voice of my grief; I have no comforter; all my haters have news of my troubles, they are glad because you have done it: let the day of fate come when they will be like me.
22 Let all their evil-doing come before you; do to them as you have done to me for all my sins: for loud is the sound of my grief, and the strength of my heart is gone.