They replied, “The remnant there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.”
O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult.
All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their lives. Look, O Lord, and see how worthless I have become.
Look, O Lord, at how distressed I am; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me because I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword bereaves; in the house it is like death.
Her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her future; her downfall was appalling, with none to comfort her. Look, O Lord, at my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!
All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at daughter Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?”
Look, O Lord, and consider! To whom have you done this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have borne? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?
O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy.