1Ao, sɛdeɛ kuropɔn no adane amamfo nie,
kuropɔn a anka nnipa ahyɛ no ma?
Ɛdeɛn enti na wayɛ okunafoɔ baa a
kane no na anka woyɛ kɛseɛ wɔ amanaman no mu?
Deɛ na ɔyɛ ɔhemmaa wɔ amantam no mu no
abɛyɛ afenaa ɛnnɛ.
2Ɔsu yaayaaya anadwo,
nisuo sensane nʼafono so.
Nʼadɔfoɔ nyinaa mu no,
ɔbiara nni hɔ a ɔkyekyere ne werɛ.
Nʼayɔnkofoɔ nyinaa adi no hwammɔ
Wɔayɛ nʼatamfoɔ.
3Amanehunu ne adwumaden akyi no,
Yuda kɔ nnommumfa mu.
Ɔte amanaman no mu
na ɔnni ahomegyebea
Wɔn a wɔtaa no nyinaa ati no
wɔ nʼahokyere mu.
4Akwan a ɛkɔ Sion no di awerɛhoɔ,
ɛfiri sɛ obiara nkɔ nʼafahyɛ ase.
Nʼapono nyinaa adeda mpan,
na nʼasɔfoɔ si apinie,
ne mmabaawa di yea,
na ɔwɔ yeadie a emu yɛ den.
5Nʼatamfoɔ abɛyɛ ne wuranom;
wɔn a wɔ ne no ayɛ dom ho adwo wɔn.
Awurade ama awerɛhoɔ aba ne so
nʼamumuyɛ bebrebe enti.
Ne mma kɔ nnommumfa mu.
Wɔayɛ nneduafoɔ ama ɔtamfoɔ.
6Animuonyam nyinaa atu
afiri Ɔbabaa Sion so kɔ.
Ne mmapɔmma ayɛ sɛ aforoteɛ
a wɔnnya adidibea;
na wɔde mmerɛyɛ adwane
wɔ wɔn ataafoɔ anim.
7Nʼamanehunu ne ananteananteɛ nna mu no,
Yerusalem kae ademudeɛ nyinaa
a na ɛwɔ no wɔ nna a atwam no mu.
Ne nkurɔfoɔ kɔtɔɔ ɔtamfoɔ no nsa mu no,
na obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛboa no.
Nʼatamfoɔ de wɔn ani hwɛɛ no
na wɔseree ne sɛeɛ.
8Yerusalem ayɛ bɔne kɛseɛ
enti ne ho agu fi.
Wɔn a wɔdi no ni no sopa no,
ɛfiri sɛ wɔahunu nʼadagya;
ɔno ankasa gu ahome
na ɔdane nʼani.
9Nʼafideyɛ atu aka ne ntadeɛ mu;
wannwene ne daakye ho.
Nʼasehweɛ yɛ nwanwa;
obiara ankyekyere ne werɛ.
“Ao Awurade hwɛ mʼamanehunu,
ɛfiri sɛ ɔtamfoɔ adi nkonim.”
10Ɔtamfoɔ no de ne nsa too
nʼademudeɛ nyinaa so;
ɔhunuu sɛ amanaman
rehyɛne ne kronkronbea hɔ,
nnipa a woabra sɛ
wɔnnhyɛne wʼasafo mu no.
11Ne nkurɔfoɔ nyinaa si apinie
ɛberɛ a wɔrepɛ aduane;
wɔde wɔn ademudeɛ sesa aduane
de nya ahoɔden.
“Ao, Awurade, hwɛ na dwene me ho,
ɛfiri sɛ wɔbu me animtia.”
12“Ɛmfa mo ho anaa, mo a motwam hɔ nyinaa?
Monhwɛ na monhunu.
Ɛyea bi wɔ hɔ a ɛte sɛ me deɛ
a wɔma ɛbaa me soɔ yi anaa?
Deɛ Awurade de baa me so
wɔ nʼabufuhyeɛ da no.
13“Ɔsomaa ogya firi ɔsoro,
ma ɛbaa me nnompe mu.
Ɔsum afidie maa me nan
na ɔsane me kɔɔ mʼakyi.
Ɔyɛɛ me pasaa,
metɔɔ bira da mu nyinaa.
14“Woakyekyere me bɔne sɛ adesoa;
ɔde ne nsa nwene bɔɔ mu.
Abɛda me kɔn mu
na Awurade atwe mʼahoɔden.
Ɔde me ahyɛ wɔn a
merentumi nnyina wɔn anim no nsa.
15“Awurade apo
ahoɔdenfoɔ a wɔwɔ me ntam nyinaa;
wafrɛ akodɔm atia me
sɛ wɔmmɛdwɛre me mmeranteɛ.
Awurade atiatia Ɔbabaa Yuda Bunu so
wɔ ne nsakyiamena hɔ.
16“Yeinom enti na mesu
na nisuo adware me.
Obiara mmɛn a ɔbɛkyekye me werɛ.
Deɛ ɔbɛhyɛ me honhom den nni hɔ.
Me mma agyigya
ɛfiri sɛ ɔtamfoɔ no adi nkonim.”
17Sion trɛ ne nsa mu
nanso obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛkyekye ne werɛ
Awurade ahyɛ ama Yakob sɛ
ne mfɛfoɔ bɛyɛ nʼatamfoɔ;
Yerusalem abɛyɛ
afideɛ wɔ wɔn mu.
18“Awurade yɛ ɔteneneeni,
nanso manni nʼahyɛdeɛ so.
Montie, mo amanaman nyinaa
monhwɛ me yea.
Me mmeranteɛ ne mmabaawa
kɔ nnommumfa mu.
19“Mefrɛɛ mʼapamfoɔ
nanso wɔyii me maeɛ.
Mʼasɔfoɔ ne me mpanimfoɔ
ase tɔreɛ wɔ kuropɔn no mu,
ɛberɛ a wɔrepɛ aduane adi
na wɔanwuwu.
20“Ao Awurade, hwɛ me mmɔborɔ!
Meredi ɛyea wɔ me mu,
na mʼakoma mu nso menni ahotɔ,
ɛfiri sɛ mayɛ otuatefoɔ kɛseɛ.
Akofena hyɛ me awerɛhoɔ wɔ abɔntene so;
efie nso yɛ owuo nko ara.
21“Nnipa ate mʼapinisie,
nanso obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛkyekye me werɛ.
Mʼatamfoɔ nyinaa ate mʼamanehunu
wɔn ani gye deɛ woayɛ no ho.
Ma nna a woahyɛ no mmra
sɛdeɛ wɔbɛyɛ sɛ me.
22“Fa wɔn atirimuɔdensɛm nyinaa si wʼanim;
na wo ne wɔn nni
sɛdeɛ wo ne me adie
ɛsiane mʼamumuyɛ no enti.
Mʼapinisie dɔɔso
na mʼakoma aboto.”
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.”
