Lamentations 1:3

¹ How lonely lies the city, once so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become a widow. The princess of the provinces has become a slave.

² She weeps aloud in the night, with tears upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.

Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.

⁴ The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish.

⁵ Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the enemy.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
KJV: Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.
WEB: 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.
ASV: Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude; She dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest: All her persecutors overtook her within the straits.
DARBY: Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude; she dwelleth among the nations, she findeth no rest: all her pursuers have overtaken her within the straits.
BLB: Judah has gone into exile for affliction and from an abundance of labor; she dwells among the nations; she finds no rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of distress.

ÅB: I landflyktighet er Juda vandret, etter trengsel og mye strev; det bor iblant folkene, har ikke funnet hvile; alle dets forfølgere har innhentet det på trange steder.
OTB: Juda har gått i eksil, lider nød og hard trelldom. Hun bor blant nasjonene, men finner ingen hvileplass. Alle hennes forfølgere har innhentet henne midt i hennes nød.
B1930: I landflyktighet er Juda vandret, efter trengsel og megen møie; det bor iblandt folkene, har ikke funnet hvile; alle dets forfølgere har innhentet det på trange steder.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Lamentations 2:9
Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find no vision from the LORD.
Read in context
Lamentations 4:18–19
They stalked our every step, so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end drew near, our time ran out, for our end had come!
Read in context
2 Kings 25:21
There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
Read in context
2 Kings 25:11
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 36:20–21
Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
Read in context
Jeremiah 52:27–30
There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
Read in context
Jeremiah 13:19
The cities of the Negev have been shut tight, and no one can open them. All Judah has been carried into exile, wholly taken captive.
Read in context
Ezekiel 5:12
A third of your people will die by plague or be consumed by famine within you, a third will fall by the sword outside your walls, and a third I will scatter to every wind and unleash a sword behind them.
Read in context