Aug 28, 2021
1 [a]How
deserted lies the city,
once so full of people!
How like a widow is she,
who once was great among the
nations!
She who was queen among the
provinces
has now become a slave.
2 Bitterly she
weeps at night,
tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers
there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have
betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.
3 After affliction
and harsh labor,
Judah has gone into exile.
She dwells among the nations;
she finds no resting place.
All who pursue her have overtaken
her
in the midst of her distress.
4 The roads to Zion
mourn,
for no one comes to her appointed
festivals.
All her gateways are
desolate,
her priests groan,
her young women grieve,
and she is in bitter anguish.
5 Her foes have
become her masters;
her enemies are at ease.
The Lord has brought her grief
because of her many sins.
Her children have gone into
exile,
captive before the foe.
6 All the splendor
has departed
from Daughter Zion.
Her princes are like deer
that find no pasture;
in weakness they have fled
before the pursuer.