<p class="lamhebrew"><b>&#1510;b> (<i>Tsadei>)p> <p class="poetry">Cry out<n id="1" /> from your heart<n id="2" /> to the Lord,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">O wall of Daughter Zion!<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Make your tears flow like a riverp> <p class="poetry">all day and all night long!<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">Do not rest;p> <p class="poetry">do not let your tears<n id="6" /> stop!p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1502; (<i>Memi>)p> <p class="poetry">He sent down fire<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">into my bones, and it overcame<n id="2" /> them.p> <p class="poetry">He spread out a trapper&#8217;s net<n id="3" /> for my feet;p> <p class="poetry">he made me turn back.p> <p class="poetry">He has made me desolate;p> <p class="poetry">I am faint all day long.p>

<t /><p class="lamhebrew">&#1508; (<i>Pei>)p> <p class="poetry">Zion spread out her hands,p> <p class="poetry">but there is no one to comfort her.p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has issued a decree against Jacob;p> <p class="poetry">his neighbors<n id="1" /> have become his enemies.p> <p class="poetry">Jerusalem has becomep> <p class="poetry">like filthy garbage<n id="2" /> in their midst.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1500; (<i>Lamedi>)p> <p class="poetry">Children<n id="1" /> say to their mothers,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Where are food and drink?&#8221;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They faint<n id="4" /> like a wounded warriorp> <p class="poetry">in the city squares.p> <p class="poetry">They die slowly<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">in their mothers&#8217; arms.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1514; (<i>Tavi>)p> <p class="poetry">As if it were a feast day, you call<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">enemies<n id="2" /> to terrify me<n id="3" /> on every side.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">On the day of the Lord&#8217;s angerp> <p class="poetry">no one escaped or survived.p> <p class="poetry">My enemy has finished offp> <p class="poetry">those healthy infants whom I bore<n id="5" /> and raised.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1493; (<i>Vavi>)p> <p class="poetry">He destroyed his temple<n id="1" /> as if it were a vineyard;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he destroyed his appointed meeting place.p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> has made those in Zion forgetp> <p class="poetry">both the festivals and the Sabbaths.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">In his fierce anger<n id="4" /> he has spurned<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">both king and priest.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1499; (<i>Kafi>)p> <p class="poetry">All her people groanedp> <p class="poetry">as they searched for a morsel of bread.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They exchanged<n id="2" /> their valuables<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">for<n id="4" /> just enough foodp> <p class="poetry">to stay alive.<n id="5" />p><t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;Look, O <sc>Lordsc>! Consider<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">that I have become worthless!&#8221;p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1508; (<i>Pei>)p> <p class="poetry">All your enemiesp> <p class="poetry">gloated over you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They sneered and gnashed their teeth;p> <p class="poetry">they said, &#8220;We have destroyed<n id="2" /> her!p> <p class="poetry">Ha! We have waited a long time for this day.p> <p class="poetry">We have lived to see it!&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1491; (<i>Daleti>)p> <p class="poetry">The infant&#8217;s tongue sticksp> <p class="poetry">to the roof of its mouth due to thirst;p> <p class="poetry">little children beg for bread,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">but no one gives them even a morsel.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1504; (<i>Nuni>)p> <p class="poetry">My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they are fastened together by his hand.p> <p class="poetry">He has placed his yoke<n id="2" /> on my neck;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">he has sapped my strength.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">The Lord<n id="5" /> has handed me over<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">to those whom I cannot resist.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1491; (<i>Daleti>)p> <p class="poetry">He prepared his bow<n id="1" /> like an enemy;p> <p class="poetry">his right hand was ready to shoot.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Like a foe he killed everyone,p> <p class="poetry">even our strong young men;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">he has poured out his anger like firep> <p class="poetry">on the tent<n id="4" /> of Daughter Zion.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1512; (<i>Reshi>)p> <p class="poetry">Look, O <sc>Lordsc>! I am distressed;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">my stomach is in knots!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">My heart is pounding<n id="3" /> inside me.p> <p class="poetry">Yes, I was terribly rebellious!<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Out in the street the sword bereaves a mother of her children;<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">Inside the house death is present.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1496; (<i>Teti>)p> <p class="poetry">Her city gates have fallen<n id="1" /> to the ground;p> <p class="poetry">he smashed to bits<n id="2" /> the bars that lock her gates.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Her king and princes were taken into exile;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">there is no more guidance available.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">As for her prophets,p> <p class="poetry">they no longer receive<n id="6" /> a vision from the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1494; (<i>Zayini>)p> <p class="poetry">Jerusalem<n id="1" /> remembers,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">when<n id="3" /> she became a poor homeless person,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">all her treasuresp> <p class="poetry">that she owned in days of old.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">When her people fell into an enemy&#8217;s grip,<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">none of her allies came to her rescue.<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">Her enemies<n id="8" /> gloated over<n id="9" /> her;p> <p class="poetry">they sneered<n id="10" /> at her downfall.<n id="11" />p>

<p class="poetry">Why should any living person<n id="1" /> complainp> <p class="poetry">when punished for his sins?<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">He drew<n id="1" /> his bow and made me<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the target for his arrow.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1505; (<i>Sameki>)p> <p class="poetry">He rounded up<n id="1" /> all my mighty ones;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">The Lord<n id="3" /> did this<n id="4" /> in<n id="5" /> my midst.p> <p class="poetry">He summoned an assembly<n id="6" /> against mep> <p class="poetry">to shatter my young men.p> <p class="poetry">The Lord has stomped like grapes<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">the virgin daughter, Judah.<n id="8" />p>

<p class="poetry">Panic and pitfall<n id="1" /> have come upon us,p> <p class="poetry">devastation and destruction.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="lamhebrew">&#1488; (<i>Alefi>)p> <p class="poetry">Alas!<n id="1" /> The Lord<n id="2" /> has coveredp> <p class="poetry">Daughter Zion<n id="3" /> with his anger.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">He has thrown down the splendor of Israelp> <p class="poetry">from heaven to earth;p> <p class="poetry">he did not protect<n id="5" /> his temple<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">when he displayed his anger.<n id="7" />p>

<p class="poetry">He has made me reside in deepest darkness<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">like those who died long ago.p>