1Napakalungkot na sa Jerusalem na dati ay puno ng mga tao. Ang kilalang-kilala noon sa buong mundo, ngayoʼy tulad ng isang biyuda. Kung dati ay reyna siya ng lahat ng lungsod, ngayoʼy isang alipin ang kanyang katulad. 2Buong pait siyang umiiyak magdamag. Mga luha niyaʼy dumadaloy sa kanyang mga pisngi. Walang dumamay sa kanya, isa man sa kanyang mga minamahal.1:2 kanyang mga minamahal: Ang ibig sabihin, kanyang mga kakampi. Pinagtaksilan siya ng lahat ng kaibigan niya, na ngayoʼy kanyang kaaway. 3Lubhang pinahirapan ang Juda at ang mga mamamayan niyaʼy binihag. Doon na sila nakatira sa ibang bansa kung saan hindi sila makapagpahinga. Tinugis sila ng kanilang mga kaaway hanggang hindi na sila makatakas.
4Ang mga daan patungo sa Jerusalem1:4 Jerusalem: sa Hebreo, Zion. ay puno na ng kalungkutan, dahil wala nang dumadalo sa mga takdang pista. Sa mga pintuang bayan ay wala na ring mga tao. Ang mga pari ay dumadaing, at ang mga dalaga ay nagdadalamhati. Napakapait ng sinapit ng Jerusalem. 5Pinamunuan sila ng kanilang mga kaaway, at yumaman ang mga ito. Sapagkat pinahirapan ng Panginoon ang Jerusalem dahil napakarami nitong kasalanan. Ang kanyang mga mamamayan ay binihag ng mga kaaway. 6Ang kagandahan ng Jerusalem ay naglaho na. Ang kanyang mga pinuno ay parang mga gutom na usa na naghahanap ng pastulan. Silaʼy nanghihina na habang tumatakas sa mga tumutugis sa kanila. 7Ngayong ang Jerusalem ay nagdadalamhati at naguguluhan, naalala niya ang lahat ng dati niyang yaman. Nang mahulog siya sa kamay ng mga kaaway niya, walang sinumang tumulong sa kanya. At nang siyaʼy bumagsak, kinutyaʼt tinawanan pa siya ng mga kaaway niya.
8Napakalaki ng kasalanan ng Jerusalem, kaya naging marumi siya. Ang lahat ng pumupuri noon sa kanya ngayoʼy hinahamak na siya, dahil nakita nila ang kanyang kahihiyan.1:8 kanyang kahihiyan: sa literal, kanyang kahubaran. Sa hiya ay napadaing siya at tumalikod. 9Nahayag sa lahat ang kanyang karumihan, at hindi niya inalala ang kanyang kasasapitan. Malagim ang kanyang naging pagbagsak, at walang sinumang tumutulong sa kanya. Kaya sinabi niya, “O Panginoon tingnan nʼyo po ang aking paghihirap, dahil tinalo ako ng aking mga kaaway.”
10Kinuha ng mga kaaway ang lahat ng kayamanan niya. Sa temploʼy nakita niyang pumapasok ang mga taong hindi pinahihintulutan ng Panginoon na pumasok doon. 11Ang mga mamamayan niyaʼy dumadaing habang naghahanap ng pagkain. Ipinagpalit nila ang kanilang mga kayamanan para sa pagkain upang mabuhay. Sinabi ng Jerusalem, “O Panginoon, pagmasdan nʼyo ako dahil akoʼy nasa kahihiyan.” 12Sinabi rin niya sa mga dumaraan, “Balewala lang ba ito sa inyo? May nakita ba kayong naghirap na kagaya ko? Ang paghihirap na ito ay ipinataw sa akin ng Panginoon nang magalit siya sa akin. 13Mula sa langit, nagpadala siya ng apoy na tila sumusunog sa aking mga buto. Naglagay siya ng bitag para sa aking mga paa at nahuli ako. Iniwanan niya akong nanghihina buong araw. 14Inipon niya ang lahat ng aking mga kasalanan at inilagay sa aking batok bilang pamatok. At ito ang nagdala sa akin sa pagkabihag. Pinanghina ako ng Panginoon at ibinigay sa kamay ng mga kaaway na hindi ko kayang labanan. 15Itinakwil ng Panginoon ang lahat ng mga kawal ko. Tinipon niya ang aking mga kaaway para lipulin ang aking mga kabataang sundalo. Ang mga mamamayan1:15 Ang mga mamamayan: sa Hebreo, Ang birhen na anak na babae. ng Juda ay naging tulad ng ubas na ipinasok ng Panginoon sa pigaan at tinapak-tapakan. 16Iyan ang dahilan kung bakit umiiyak ako. Walang nagpapalakas sa akin ni walang umaalo. Nakakaawa ang aking mga mamamayan dahil natalo sila ng kanilang mga kaaway.”
17Humingi ng tulong ang Jerusalem pero walang tumulong sa kanya. Sapagkat niloob ng Panginoon na makaaway ng lahi ni Jacob ang mga bansa sa palibot niya. Itinuring nilang napakarumi ng Jerusalem sa paningin nila.
18Sinabi ng Jerusalem, “Matuwid ang Panginoon, pero hindi ko sinunod ang kanyang mga utos. Kaya lahat kayo, pakinggan ninyo ako at tingnan ang aking paghihirap. Ang mga kabataan kong babae at lalaki ay binihag. 19Humingi ako ng tulong sa aking mga kakampi pero pinagtaksilan nila ako. Namatay ang aking mga pari at ang mga tagapamahala ng lungsod habang naghahanap ng pagkain para mabuhay.
20“Panginoon, masdan nʼyo po ang aking kagipitan! Nababagabag at parang pinipiga ang puso ko, dahil naghihimagsik ako sa inyo. Kabi-kabila ang patayan sa aking mga lansangan pati na sa loob ng bahay ko. 21Narinig ng mga tao ang pagdaing ko ngunit wala kahit isang umaalo sa akin. Nalaman ng lahat ng kaaway ko ang aking mga paghihirap at natuwa sila sa ginawa nʼyong ito sa akin. Dumating na sana ang araw na ipinangako nʼyong pagpaparusa sa kanila, para maging katulad ko rin sila. 22Masdan nʼyo ang lahat ng kasamaang ginagawa nila; parusahan nʼyo sila tulad ng pagpaparusa nʼyo sa akin dahil sa lahat ng aking kasalanan. Paulit-ulit akong dumadaing at parang mawawalan na ako ng malay.”
1The city of Jerusalem is so empty!
She used to be full of people.
But now she’s like a woman whose husband has died.
She used to be great among the nations.
She was like a queen among the kingdoms.
But now she is a slave.
2Jerusalem weeps bitterly at night.
Tears run down her cheeks.
None of her friends comforts her.
All those who were going to help her
have turned against her.
They have become her enemies.
3After Judah’s people had suffered greatly,
they were taken away as prisoners.
Now they live among the nations.
They can’t find any place to rest.
All those who were chasing them have caught up with them.
And they can’t get away.
4The roads to Zion are empty.
No one travels to her appointed feasts.
All the public places near her gates are deserted.
Her priests groan.
Her young women are sad.
And Zion herself weeps bitterly.
5Her enemies have become her masters.
They have an easy life.
The Lord has brought suffering to Jerusalem
because her people have committed so many sins.
Her children have been taken away as prisoners.
Her enemies have forced her people to leave their homes.
6The city of Zion used to be full of glory.
But now her glory has faded away.
Her princes are like deer.
They can’t find anything to eat.
They are almost too weak to get away
from those who hunt them down.
7Jerusalem’s people are suffering and wandering.
They remember all the treasures
they used to have.
But they fell into the hands of their enemies.
And no one was there to help them.
Their enemies looked at them.
They laughed because Jerusalem had been destroyed.
8Her people have committed many sins.
They have become impure.
All those who honored Jerusalem now look down on her.
They all look at her as if she were a naked woman.
The city groans and turns away in shame.
9Her skirts are dirty.
She didn’t think about how things might turn out.
Her fall from power amazed everyone.
And no one was there to comfort her.
She said, “Lord, please pay attention to how much I’m suffering.
My enemies have won the battle over me.”
10Jerusalem’s enemies took away
all her treasures.
Her people saw outsiders
enter her temple.
The Lord had commanded them
not to do that.
11All Jerusalem’s people groan
as they search for bread.
They trade their treasures for food
just to stay alive.
Jerusalem says, “Lord, look at me.
Think about my condition.
Everyone looks down on me.”
12Jerusalem also says, “All you who are passing by,
don’t you care about what has happened to me?
Just look at my condition.
Has anyone suffered the way I have?
The Lord has brought all this on me.
He has made me suffer.
His anger has burned against me.
13“He sent down fire from heaven.
It went deep down into my bones.
He spread a net to catch me by the feet.
He stopped me right where I was.
He made me empty.
I am sick all the time.
14“My sins have been made into a heavy yoke.
They were woven together by his hands.
They have been placed on my neck.
The Lord has taken away my strength.
He has handed me over to my enemies.
I can’t win the battle over them.
15“The Lord has refused to accept
any of my soldiers.
He has sent for an army
to crush my young men.
I am like grapes in the Lord’s winepress.
He has stomped on me,
even though I am his very own.
16“That’s why I am weeping.
Tears are flowing from my eyes.
No one is near to comfort me.
No one can heal my spirit.
My children don’t have anything.
My enemies are much too strong for me.”
17Zion reaches out her hands.
But no one is there to comfort her people.
The Lord has ordered that
the neighbors of Jacob’s people would become their enemies.
Jerusalem has become impure among them.
18Jerusalem says, “The Lord always does what is right.
But I refused to obey his commands.
Listen, all you nations.
Pay attention to how much I’m suffering.
My young men and women
have been taken away as prisoners.
19“I called out to those who were going to help me.
But they turned against me.
My priests and elders
died in the city.
They were searching for food
just to stay alive.
20“Lord, see how upset I am!
I am suffering deep down inside.
My heart is troubled.
Again and again I have refused to obey you.
Outside the city, people are being killed by swords.
Inside, there is nothing but death.
21“People have heard me groan.
But no one is here to comfort me.
My enemies have heard about all my troubles.
What you have done makes them happy.
So please judge them, just as you said you would.
Let them become like me.
22“Please pay attention to all their sinful ways.
Punish them as you have punished me.
You judged me because I had committed so many sins.
I groan all the time.
And my heart is weak.”
