Bilingual reading

How the city sits solitary, that was full of people! She has become as a widow, who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave!

She weeps bitterly in the night. Her tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. They have become her enemies.

Judah has gone into captivity because of affliction and because of great servitude. She dwells among the nations. She finds no rest. All her persecutors overtook her in her distress.

The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to the solemn assembly. All her gates are desolate. Her priests sigh. Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.

Her adversaries have become the head. Her enemies prosper; for the LORD has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions. Her young children have gone into captivity before the adversary.

All majesty has departed from the daughter of Zion. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture. They have gone without strength before the pursuer.

Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that were from the days of old; when her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and no one helped her. The adversaries saw her. They mocked at her desolations.

Jerusalem has grievously sinned. Therefore she has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness. Yes, she sighs and turns backward.

Her filthiness was in her skirts. She didn’t remember her latter end. Therefore she has come down astoundingly. She has no comforter. “See, LORD, my affliction; for the enemy has magnified himself.”

The adversary has spread out his hand on all her pleasant things; for she has seen that the nations have entered into her sanctuary, concerning whom you commanded that they should not enter into your assembly.

All her people sigh. They seek bread. They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh their soul. “Look, LORD, and see, for I have become despised.”

“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look, and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which is brought on me, with which the LORD has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

“From on high has he sent fire into my bones, and it prevails against them. He has spread a net for my feet. He has turned me back. He has made me desolate and I faint all day long.

“The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand. They are knit together. They have come up on my neck. He made my strength fail. The Lord has delivered me into their hands, against whom I am not able to stand.

“The Lord has set at nothing all my mighty men within me. He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men. The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah as in a wine press.

“For these things I weep. My eye, my eye runs down with water, because the comforter who should refresh my soul is far from me. My children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.”

Zion spreads out her hands. There is no one to comfort her. The LORD has commanded concerning Jacob, that those who are around him should be his adversaries. Jerusalem is among them as an unclean thing.

“The LORD is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment. Please hear all you peoples, and see my sorrow. My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity.

“I called for my lovers, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders gave up the spirit in the city, while they sought food for themselves to refresh their souls.

“Look, LORD; for I am in distress. My heart is troubled. My heart turns over within me, for I have grievously rebelled. Abroad, the sword bereaves. At home, it is like death.

“They have heard that I sigh. There is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble. They are glad that you have done it. You will bring the day that you have proclaimed, and they will be like me.

“Let all their wickedness come before you. Do to them as you have done to me for all my transgressions. For my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

آ – كَيفَ جَلَسَت وَحدَها المَدينَةُ الآهِلَةُ بِالشَّعب؟ صارَت كأَرمَلَةٍ العَظيمةُ في الأُمَم السَّيِّدَةُ في البُلْدان صارَت تَحتَ الجِزْيَة

ب- تَبْكي بُكاءً في اللَّيل ودُموعُها على خَدَّيها لا مُعَزِّيَ لَها بَينَ جَميعِ مُحِبِّيها كُلُّ أَصدِقائِها غَدَروا بِها وصاروا لَها أَعْداءً

ج – جَلَت يَهوذا لِلشَّقاء وشِدَّةِ العُبودِيَّة سَكَنَت في الأُمَم ولم تَجِدِ الرَّاحَة جَميعُ طارِديها أَدرَكوها بَينَ المَضايِق

د – طُرُقُ صِهْيونَ نائِحة لِعَدَمِ القادِمينَ إِلى الأَعْياد وجَميعُ أَبوابِها مُقفِرة. كَهَنَتُها مُتَنَهِّدون وعَذاراها مُتَحَسِّرات وهي في مَرارة

مُضايِقوها تَغَلَّبوا علَيها وأَعداؤها مُطمَئِنُّون لِأَنَّ الرَّبَّ آلَمَها لِكَثرَةِ مَعاصيها. أَطفالُها ساروا مَسبِيِّين أَمامَ وَجهِ المُضايِق

و – وزالَ عن بِنتِ صِهْيون كُلُّ بَهائِها. صارَ رُؤَساؤُها كأَيائِل لم تَجِدْ مَرعًى. فساروا ولا قُوَّةَ لَهم أَمامَ وَجهِ الطَّارِد

ز – تَذَكَّرَت أُورَشَليم في أَيَّامِ بُؤسِها وشَقائِها عِندَما وَقَعَ شَعبُها في يَدِ المُضايِق ولم يَنصُرْها أَحَد. رَآها المُضايِقون فضَحِكوا مِن زَوالِها

ح – خَطِئَت أُورَشَليمُ خَطيئةً لِذٰلك صارت نَجِسَة. جَميعُ مُكْرِميها ٱزدَرَوها لِأَنَّهم رَأَوا عَورَتَها. أَمَّا هي فتَنَهَّدَت وٱلتَفَتَت إِلى الوَراء

ط – نَجاسَتُها في ذُيولِها لم تَتَذَكَّرْ عاقِبَتَها فإِذا بِها في ٱنحِطاطٍ عجيب لا مُعَزِّيَ لَها. «أُنظُرْ يا رَبُّ إِلى بُؤسي فإِنَّ العَدُوَّ تَعاظَم»

ي – بَسَطَ العَدُوُّ يَدَه على جَميعِ نَفائِسِها فإِنَّها رَأَتِ الأُمَمَ يَدخُلونَ مَقدِسَها مِمَّن أَمَرتَ أَن لا يَدخُلوا في مَجمَعٍ لَها

ك – كُلُّ شَعبِها مُتَنَهِّدون مُلتَمِسونَ طَعامًا بَذَلوا نَفائِسَهم لِلأَكْل وإِنْعاشِ النَّفْس. «أُنظُرْ يا رَبُّ وتَأَمَّلْ كَيفَ صِرتُ مُزْدَراة»

ل – يا جَميعَ عابِري الطَّريق تَأَمَّلوا وٱنظُروا هَل مِن أَلَمٍ كأَلَمي الَّذي أَصابَني الَّذي آلَمَني به الرَّبّ في يَومِ ٱضطِرامِ غَضَبِه

م – مِنَ العَلاءِ أَرسَلَ نارًا في عِظامي أَنزَلَها. نَصَبَ شَبَكَةً لِرِجلَيَّ فرَدَّني إِلى الوَراء. جَعَلني مُقفِرَة سَقيمَةً كُلَّ النَّهار

ن – راقَبَ مَعاصِيَّ فٱحتَبَكَت في يَدِه. نيرُه على عُنُقي أَوهَنَ قُوَّتي. أَسلَمَني السَّيِّدُ إِلى أَيدٍ لا أَستَطيعُ مُقاوَمَتَها

س – نَبَذَ السَّيِّدُ مِن وَسَطي جَميعَ أَبْطالي دَعا علَيَّ جَماعةً لِيُحَطِّمَ شُبَّاني داسَ السَّيِّدُ المَعصَرَة على العَذْراءِ بِنتِ يَهوذا

ع – على هٰذه أَنا باكِيَة وعَينايَ تَذرِفانِ الدُّموع فقدِ ٱبتَعَدَ عَنِّي المُعَزِّي الَّذي يُنعِشُ نَفْسي. بَنِيَّ دُمِّروا لِأَنَّ العَدُوَّ قد غَلَب

ف – بَسَطَت صِهْيونُ يَدَيها ولا مُعَزِّيَ لَها. أَرسَلَ الرَّبُّ على يَعْقوب مُضايِقينَ لَه مِن حَولِه. صارَت أُورَشَليمُ بَينَهم كالنَّجِسَة

ص – عادِلٌ الرَّبُّ لِأَنِّي عَصَيتُ أَمرَه إِسمَعوا يا جَميعَ الشُّعوب وٱنظُروا وَجَعي. عَذارايَ وشُبَّاني مَضَوا إِلى الجَلاء

ق – دَعَوتُ مُحِبِّيَّ فخَدَعوني. كَهَنَتي وشُيوخي فاضَت أَرْواحُهم في المَدينَة وهم يَلتَمِسونَ غِذاءً لِيُنعِشوا نُفوسَهم

ر – أُنظُرْ يا رَبُّ فإِنِّي في ضيق أَحْشائي جائِشة وقَلْبي مُضطَرِبٌ في باطِني لِأَنِّي عَصَيتُ عِصْيانًا. السَّيفُ يُثكِلُ في الخارِج وكالمَوتِ في البَيت

ش – إِسمَعْ أَنِّي أَتَنَهَّد فلَيسَ مَن يُعَزِّيني. جَميعُ أَعْدائي سَمِعوا بِمُصيبَتي فشَمِتوا لِأَنَّكَ أَنتَ فَعَلتَ. أُجلُبِ اليَومَ الَّذي نادَيتَ بِه فيَصيروا مِثْلي

ت – لِيَبلُغْ كُلُّ شَرِّهم إِلى أَمامِكَ وٱفعَلْ بِهِم كما فَعَلتَ بي بِسَبَبِ جَميعِ مَعاصِيَّ فإِنَّ تَنَهُّدي كَثير وقَلْبي سَقيم