The Book of Lamentations, traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, serves as a poignant expression of grief and mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people of Judah. Comprising five distinct poems, Lamentations reflects on the devastation of the city, the suffering of its inhabitants, and the profound sorrow of a people who have witnessed the collapse of their homeland. The book’s lyrical and evocative language captures the emotional intensity of the lament, providing a unique window into the collective anguish of a community grappling with loss and exile.
Lamentations 1: The Desolation of Jerusalem
[1:1] 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.
[1:2] 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.
[1:3] 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.
[1:4] 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.
[1:5] 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.
[1:6] 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.
[1:7] 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. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction.
Lamentations 2: God’s Anger and Zion’s Desolation
[2:1] How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion with the cloud of his anger! He has hurled down the splendor of Israel from heaven to earth; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger.
[2:2] Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob; in his wrath, he has torn down the strongholds of Daughter Judah. He has brought her kingdom and its princes down to the ground in dishonor.
[2:3] In fierce anger, he has cut off every horn of Israel. He has withdrawn his right hand at the approach of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that consumes everything around it.
[2:4] Like an enemy, he has strung his bow; his right hand is ready. Like a foe, he has slain all who were pleasing to the eye; he has poured out his wrath like fire on the tent of Daughter Zion.
[2:5] The Lord is like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and lamentation for Daughter Judah.
[2:6] He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. The Lord has made Zion forget her appointed festivals and her Sabbaths; in his fierce anger, he has spurned both king and priest.
Lamentations unfolds as a poetic reflection on the desolation of Jerusalem, portraying the city as a grieving widow, abandoned and bereft. The expressions of sorrow and mourning depict the consequences of Judah’s sins, as the people endure exile and witness the destruction of their sacred city. The vivid imagery captures the depth of anguish, emphasizing the harsh realities of divine judgment and the human response to loss.