אֵיכָה יָעִיב בְּאַפּוֹ אֲדֹנָי אֶת־בַּת־צִיּוֹן הִשְׁלִיךְ מִשָּׁמַיִם אֶרֶץ תִּפְאֶרֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא־זָכַר הֲדֹם־רַגְלָיו בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ

How the Lord has clouded over the daughter of Zion in His wrath. He cast the splendor of Israel from the heavens to the earth and did not remember His footstool, a flowery metaphor for the Temple, on the day of His wrath.

בִּלַּע אֲדֹנָי וְלֹא חָמַל אֵת כָּל־נְאוֹת יַעֲקֹב הָרַס בְּעֶבְרָתוֹ מִבְצְרֵי בַת־יְהוּדָה הִגִּיעַ לָאָרֶץ חִלֵּל מַמְלָכָה וְשָׂרֶיהָ

The Lord has demolished and has had no compassion for all the pleasant habitations of Jacob; He destroyed, in His ire, the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He brought them to the ground; He profaned, disgraced, and eliminated a kingdom and its princes.

גָּדַע בָּחֳרִי־אַף כֹּל קֶרֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵשִׁיב אָחוֹר יְמִינוֹ מִפְּנֵי אוֹיֵב וַיִּבְעַר בְּיַעֲקֹב כְּאֵשׁ לֶהָבָה אָכְלָה סָבִיב

He severed in enflamed wrath all the grandeur of Israel. In normal times, God protects His nation and does not allow the enemy to do as it wishes toward it; but now, He retracted His right hand, which prevents the enemy from harming Israel, from being before the enemy, allowing the enemy to act unrestrained, who burned Jacob like flaming fire, consuming all around.

דָּרַךְ קַשְׁתּוֹ כְּאוֹיֵב נִצָּב יְמִינוֹ כְּצָר וַיַּהֲרֹג כֹּל מַחֲמַדֵּי־עָיִן בְּאֹהֶל בַּת־צִיּוֹן שָׁפַךְ כָּאֵשׁ חֲמָתוֹ

He, God himself, drew His bow against us as an enemy. Not only did God withhold His hand from restraining the enemy, but His right hand stood against us as a besieger, and He killed all delights of the eye. In the tent of the daughter of Zion, He poured His fury like fire.

הָיָה אֲדֹנָי כְּאוֹיֵב בִּלַּע יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּלַּע כָּל־אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ שִׁחֵת מִבְצָרָיו וַיֶּרֶב בְּבַת־יְהוּדָה תַּאֲנִיָּה וַאֲנִיָּה

The Lord was like an enemy; He demolished Israel, demolished all its palaces, destroyed its strongholds, and multiplied sounds of mourning and moaning in the daughter of Judah.

וַיַּחְמֹס כגַּן שֻׂכּוֹ שִׁחֵת מֹעֲדוֹ שִׁכַּח ה' בְּצִיּוֹן מוֹעֵד וְשַׁבָּת וַיִּנְאַץ בְּזַעַם־אַפּוֹ מֶלֶךְ וְכֹהֵן

He stripped His shrine, His dwelling place, picking all its fruits, like a garden; He destroyed His place of assembly, or the place where He attended. The Lord caused festival and Sabbath to be forgotten in Zion. The times have become so bitter and hard that the festivals, and even the Sabbaths, are no longer discernable. The routine of life has become poor, dull, and sad. And He, God, scorned, cursed and harmed, king and priest of Israel in His furious wrath.

זָנַח אֲדֹנָי מִזְבְּחוֹ נִאֵר מִקְדָּשׁוֹ הִסְגִּיר בְּיַד־אוֹיֵב חוֹמֹת אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ קוֹל נָתְנוּ בְּבֵית־ה' כְּיוֹם מוֹעֵד

The Lord forsook His altar, cursed and ceased to protect His Temple. He gave into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces. Since the whole city has been delivered to the control of foreigners, they made a loud noise in the House of the Lord, like a day of festival. The sounds of the massacre and battle in the Temple brought back memories of voices raised in song and thanks that would emanate from those celebrating the festivals in previous years.

חָשַׁב ה' לְהַשְׁחִית חוֹמַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן נָטָה קָו לֹא־הֵשִׁיב יָדוֹ מִבַּלֵּעַ וַיַּ‌אֲבֶל חֵל וְחוֹמָה יַחְדָּו אֻמְלָלוּ

The Lord resolved to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion; He drew, marked a line in preparation of His plan of action, and did not withdraw His hand from demolishing, but implemented His plan. He caused rampart and wall to mourn, together they languish.

טָבְעוּ בָאָרֶץ שְׁעָרֶיהָ אִבַּד וְשִׁבַּר בְּרִיחֶיהָ מַלְכָּהּ וְשָׂרֶיהָ בַגּוֹיִם אֵין תּוֹרָה גַּם־נְבִיאֶיהָ לֹא־מָצְאוּ חָזוֹן מֵה'

Her gates sank into the ground; essentially, they have disappeared, because people have stopped using them and therefore they no longer serve any purpose. He eradicated and broke her bars, which would have been used to close the gates. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations and cannot help. There is no Torah; her prophets, too, could not find a vision from the Lord. All is hidden and unknown. The leaders have gone into exile, and those who are left offer no comfort.

יֵשְׁבוּ לָאָרֶץ יִדְּמוּ זִקְנֵי בַת־צִיּוֹן הֶעֱלוּ עָפָר עַל־רֹאשָׁם חָגְרוּ שַׂקִּים הוֹרִידוּ לָאָרֶץ רֹאשָׁן בְּתוּלֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם

The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent. They have placed dust on their heads, have girded themselves with sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have lowered their heads to the ground. Both the young and the old mourn.

כָּלוּ בַדְּמָעוֹת עֵינַי חֳמַרְמְרוּ מֵעַי נִשְׁפַּךְ לָאָרֶץ כְּבֵדִי עַל־־שֶׁבֶר בַּת־־עַמִּי בֵּעָטֵף עוֹלֵל וְיוֹנֵק בִּרְחֹבוֹת קִרְיָה

The lamenter’s distress at the sight of his eyes is so great that he feels as though it physically harms him: My eyes fail from the many tears; my innards burn. I am overcome with a terrible stomachache; my liver is poured on the earth over the disaster of the daughter of my people, as the infants and the suckling babes faint in the city squares.

לְאִמֹּתָם יֹאמְרוּ אַיֵּה דָּגָן ויָיִן בְּהִתְעַטְּפָם כֶּחָלָל בִּרְחֹבוֹת עִיר בְּהִשְׁתַּפֵּךְ נַפְשָׁם אֶל־חֵיק אִמֹּתָם

To their mothers they, the young children, say: Where is grain and if there is no bread, where is there wine to refresh our souls? while fainting like the wounded, as lifeless corpses in the city squares, while their souls are poured into their mothers’ bosoms.

מָה־אֲעִידֵךְ מָה אֲדַמֶּה־לָּךְ הַבַּת יְרוּשָׁלִַם מָה אַשְׁוֶה־לָּךְ וַאֲנַחֲמֵךְ בְּתוּלַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן כִּי־גָדוֹל כַּיָּם שִׁבְרֵךְ מִי יִרְפָּא־לָךְ

What shall I attest to you? What similar case can I cite in order to comfort you? To what shall I liken you, what metaphors can I use in order to explain your situation, daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equate you, with what can I compare your suffering, and thereby comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your disaster is as vast as the sea; who can heal you? No one can.

נְבִיאַיִךְ חָזוּ לָךְ שָׁוְא וְתָפֵל וְלֹא־גִלּוּ עַל־עֲוֹנֵךְ לְהָשִׁיב שְׁבוּתֵךְ וַיֶּחֱזוּ לָךְ מַשְׂאוֹת שָׁוְא וּמַדּוּחִם

Your prophets, who were not true prophets of God, envisioned and delivered prophecies of futility and foolishness for you, as they had no substance, and did not reveal your iniquity to bring about your rehabilitation, to return you to your previous state. They betrayed their mission, which was to castigate you for your sins and inspire you to repent. Instead, they allowed you to deteriorate and envisioned for you prophecies of futility and deviance, or incitement, which incited you to abandon the correct path. Instead of telling you the hard truth, which would have convinced you to change your ways and repent, your prophets affirmed your behavior, enabling you to continue your evil ways unimpeded.

סָפְקוּ עָלַיִךְ כַּפַּיִם כָּל־עֹבְרֵי דֶרֶךְ שָׁרְקוּ וַיָּנִעוּ רֹאשָׁם עַל־בַּת יְרוּשָׁלִָם הֲזֹאת הָעִיר שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ כְּלִילַת יֹפִי מָשׂוֹשׂ לְכָל־הָאָרֶץ

All wayfarers clapped their hands at you; they whistled and shook their heads, expressions of grief, at the daughter of Jerusalem. At the sight of your ruin, they wonder: Is this the city that was said to be perfect beauty, the joy of the entire earth?

פָּצוּ עָלַיִךְ פִּיהֶם כָּל־אֹיְבַיִךְ שָׁרְקוּ וַיַּחַרְקוּ־שֵׁן אָמְרוּ בִּלָּעְנוּ אַךְ זֶה הַיּוֹם שֶׁקִּוִּינֻהוּ מָצָאנוּ רָאִינוּ

All your enemies opened their mouths wide, jeering against you; they whistled and gnashed their teeth, expressions of anger or animosity. They said: We have demolished her; indeed, this is the day for which we hoped, the day of Jerusalem’s downfall; now we found it, we saw it.

עָשָׂה ה' אֲשֶׁר זָמָם בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מִימֵי־קֶדֶם הָרַס וְלֹא חָמָל וַיְשַׂמַּח עָלַיִךְ אוֹיֵב הֵרִים קֶרֶן צָרָיִךְ

The Lord accomplished that which He devised; He implemented His statement that He commanded from the days of old. He had warned you in His Torah of defeat and destruction, starvation and war, and now His retribution for your sins has come to pass. He destroyed and had no compassion. He caused the enemy to rejoice over you, raised the horn of your antagonists. He has empowered them in their own eyes.

צָעַק לִבָּם אֶל־אֲדֹנָי חוֹמַת בַּת־צִיּוֹן הוֹרִידִי כַנַּחַל דִּמְעָה יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה אַל־תִּתְּנִי פוּגַת לָךְ אַל־תִּדֹּם בַּת עֵינֵךְ

Their hearts, the hearts of the city’s inhabitants, cried to the Lord. Wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears fall like a stream, day and night; do not give yourself respite; let the apple of your eye not cease. Do not allow yourself to stop weeping.

קוּמִי רֹנִּי בַלַּיְלָ לְרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמֻרוֹת שִׁפְכִי כַמַּיִם לִבֵּךְ נֹכַח פְּנֵי אֲדֹנָי שְׂאִי אֵלָיו כַּפַּיִךְ עַל־נֶפֶשׁ עוֹלָלַיִךְ הָעֲטוּפִים בְּרָעָב בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל־חוּצוֹת

The lamenter now turns to Israel: Arise, cry out while eulogizing at night, at the beginning of the watches. For watchmen, the night is divided into shifts, and the time at the beginning of each shift is opportune for prayer. Pour out your heart like water, sob uncontrollably during these hours of the night before the face of the Lord over your situation. Lift up your hands to Him in prayer for the life of your infants, who are faint with hunger at the head of every street. Not only the adults are starving to death; even the young children have nothing to eat.

רְאֵה ה' וְהַבִּיטָה לְמִי עוֹלַלְתָּ כֹּה אִם תֹּאכַלְנָה נָשִׁים פִּרְיָם עֹלְלֵי טִפֻּחִים אִם יֵהָרֵג בְּמִקְדַּשׁ אֲדֹנָי כֹּהֵן וְנָבִיא

Like the previous lamentation, this one also concludes with a call to God to see how lowly Jerusalem has become, and once again the lamenter personally identifies with Jerusalem: See, Lord, and behold to whom You have done this. Shall women eat their fruit, the infants of their nurturing? Was it Your intention that the starvation should be so terrible as to cause this to happen? Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the Temple of the Lord, which is supposed to be a place of refuge? Was that Your intent?

שָׁכְבוּ לָאָרֶץ חוּצוֹת נַעַר וְזָקֵן בְּתוּלֹתַי וּבַחוּרַי נָפְלוּ בֶחָרֶב הָרַגְתָּ בְּיוֹם אַפֶּךָ טָבַחְתָּ לֹא חָמָלְתָּ

Lad and elder lay on the ground in the streets; my young women and my young men fell by the sword. You killed on the day of Your wrath; You slaughtered, had no compassion. You have harmed us mercilessly.

תִּקְרָא כיוֹם מוֹעֵד מְגוּרַי מִסָּבִיב וְלֹא הָיָה בְּיוֹם אַף־ה' פָּלִיט וְשָׂרִיד אֲשֶׁר־טִפַּחְתִּי וְרִבִּיתִי אֹיְבִי כִלָּם

You have called, invited, as on an appointed day, my fears to come from all around, and there was no survivor or remnant on the day of the Lord’s wrath. All the houses, gardens, books, public works, and those children whom I nurtured and reared, my enemy annihilated; I remain alone in the world.