LAM 1:1 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for Bible-translators and others doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still early looks into the drafted texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

1:1 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

1:1 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

1:1 OSHB note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX ΑΛΕΦ. Πῶς ἐκάθισε μόνη ἡ πόλις ἡ πεπληθυμμένη λαῶν; ἐγενήθη ὡς χήρα, πεπληθυμμένη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἄρχουσα ἐν χώραις ἐγενήθη εἰς φόρον.
(ALEF. Pōs ekathise monaʸ haʸ polis haʸ peplaʸthummenaʸ laōn; egenaʸthaʸ hōs ⱪaʸra, peplaʸthummenaʸ en ethnesin, arⱪousa en ⱪōrais egenaʸthaʸ eis foron.)

BrTr [And it came to pass, after Israel was taken captive, and Jerusalem made desolate, that Jeremias sat weeping, and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem, and said]
¶ Aleph. How does the city that was filled with people sit solitary! she is become as a widow: she that was magnified among the nations, and princess among the provinces, has become tributary.

ULT How she sits alone,
⇔ the city that was great with people!
⇔ She has become like a widow
⇔ who was great among the nations.
⇔ The princess among the provinces
⇔ has become a forced laborer.

UST Jerusalem, the city that was once so full of people,
⇔ is now empty and deserted.
⇔ It was once the greatest city among all the nations,
⇔ but now it is like a widow—alone and without protection.
⇔ It was once honored among the provinces like a princess,
⇔ but now her people are forced to do slave labor.

BSB How[fn] 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.

1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

MSB (Same as BSB above including footnotes)

OEB No OEB LAM book available

WEBBE How the city sits solitary,
⇔ that was full of people!
⇔ She has become as a widow,
⇔ who was great amongst the nations!
⇔ She who was a princess amongst the provinces
⇔ has become a slave!

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Alas! The city once full of people
⇔ now sits all alone!
⇔ The prominent lady among the nations
⇔ has become a widow!
⇔ The princess who once ruled the provinces
⇔ has become a forced laborer!

LSV [ALEPH-BET] How she has sat alone,
The city abounding with people! She has been as a widow,
The mighty among nations! Princes among provinces,
She has become tributary!

FBV How desolate sits the city of Jerusalem, once filled with people! She[fn] has become like a widow, she who was once great among the nations. The queen of all the world has become a slave-laborer.

1:1 To preserve some of the poetic effect, the female personification of the city of Jerusalem has been preserved in this translation.

T4T Jerusalem was once full of people,
⇔ but now it is deserted.
⇔ Once it was honored by people all over the world,
⇔ but now it is grieving/abandoned like [SIM] a widow.
⇔ Once it was honored like [MET] a princess is honored among the nations,
⇔ but now we who live here have become slaves.

LEB • How desolate the city sits
  • that was full of people!
• She has become like a widow,
  • once great among the nations!
• Like a woman of nobility in the provinces,
  • she has become a forced laborer.

BBE See her seated by herself, the town which was full of people! She who was great among the nations has become like a widow! She who was a princess among the countries has come under the yoke of forced work!

Moff Ah, how lonely lies the city,
⇔ once so full of folk,
⇔ once a power among the nations,
⇔ like a poor widow!
⇔ she queened it over towns,
⇔ and is now a thrall!--

JPS HOW DOTH the city sit solitary, that was full of people! How is she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

ASV How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!
⇔ She is become as a widow, that was great among the nations!
⇔ She that was a princess among the provinces is become tributary!

DRA Aleph. How doth the city sit solitary that was full of people! how is the mistress of the Gentiles become as a widow: the princes of provinces made tributary!

YLT How hath she sat alone, The city abounding with people! She hath been as a widow, The mighty among nations! Princes among provinces, She hath become tributary!

Drby How doth the city sit solitary [that] was full of people! She that was great among the nations is become as a widow; the princess among the provinces is become tributary!

RV How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!
(How doth/does the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary/paying_tribute!)

SLT How sat the city alone being many in people she was as a widow: being many among the nations, being a leader in the provinces, she became for tribute.

Wbstr How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary.

KJB-1769 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!
(How doth/does the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary/paying_tribute!)

KJB-1611 ¶ How doeth the citie sit solitarie that was full of people? How is she become as a widow? She that was great among the nations, and princesse among the prouinces, how is she become tributarie?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps Alas howe sitteth the citie so desolate, that sometime was full of people? Howe is she become lyke a widow which was great among nations? Howe is she brought vnder tribute that ruled landes?
(Alas how sitteth/sits the city so desolate, that sometime was full of people? How is she become like a widow which was great among nations? How is she brought under tribute that ruled lands?)

Gnva Howe doeth the citie remaine solitarie that was full of people? she is as a widowe: she that was great among the nations, and princesse among the prouinces, is made tributarie.
(How doth/does the city remain solitary that was full of people? she is as a widow: she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, is made tributary/paying_tribute.)

Cvdl Alas, how sitteth the cite so desolate, yt some tyme was full of people? how is she become like a wedowe, which was the lady of all nacions? How is she brought vnder tribute, that ruled all londes?
(Alas, how sitteth/sits the cite so desolate, it some time was full of people? how is she become like a widow, which was the lady of all nations? How is she brought under tribute, that ruled all lands?)

Wycl Aleph. Hou sittith aloone the citee ful of puple? the ladi of folkis is maad as a widewe; the prince of prouynces is maad vndir tribute.
(Aleph. How sitteth/sits alone the city full of people? the lady of folks/people is made as a widow; the prince of provinces is made under tribute.)

Luth Wie liegt die Stadt so wüste, die voll Volks war! Sie ist wie eine Witwe. Die eine Fürstin unter den Heiden und eine Königin in den Ländern war, muß nun dienen.
(How lies(v) the city so desert, the full/whole peoples war! They/She is as/like a/one widow. The a/one princess under the heathens and a/one queen in the countries was, must now serve/be_of_service.)

ClVg Prologus Et factum est, postquam in captivitatem redactus est Israël, et Jerusalem deserta est, sedit Jeremias propheta flens, et planxit lamentatione hac in Jerusalem: et amaro animo suspirans et ejulans, dixit: [Aleph Quomodo sedet sola civitas plena populo ! Facta est quasi vidua domina gentium; princeps provinciarum facta est sub tributo.
(Prologus And done it_is, after in/into/on captivity redactus it_is Israel, and Yerusalem deserted it_is, sat_down Yeremias a_prophet crying, and he_cried lamentation this_way in/into/on Yerusalem: and amaro in_mind sighing and howling, he/she_said: [Aleph How/In_what_manner is_sitting alone city full to_the_people ! Done it_is as_if a_widow lady nations; prince of_the_provinces facts it_is under tribute.)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

אֵיכָ֣ה ׀ יָשְׁבָ֣ה בָדָ֗ד הָ⁠עִיר֙ רַבָּ֣תִי עָ֔ם

how (Some words not found in UHB: how sits lonely the=city full_of people she/it_was like,a_widow great_of among,nations princess_of among,provinces she/it_was (into)_forced,labor )

The author is speaking of the city of Jerusalem as if it were a woman who could sit alone in mourning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See the Introduction to Lamentations for further discussion of the term and how to translate it here and throughout this book. Alternate translation: [How the city that was great with people is now deserted]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

הָיְתָ֖ה כְּ⁠אַלְמָנָ֑ה רַּבָּ֣תִי בַ⁠גּוֹיִ֗ם

she/it_was she/it_was (Some words not found in UHB: how sits lonely the=city full_of people she/it_was like,a_widow great_of among,nations princess_of among,provinces she/it_was (into)_forced,labor )

The point of this comparison is that just as a widow is alone, unprotected, and grieving, so is Jerusalem now without allies or support. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [She has become alone and unprotected, though she was once great among the nations]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שָׂרָ֨תִי֙ בַּ⁠מְּדִינ֔וֹת הָיְתָ֖ה לָ⁠מַֽס

(Some words not found in UHB: how sits lonely the=city full_of people she/it_was like,a_widow great_of among,nations princess_of among,provinces she/it_was (into)_forced,labor )

Here the author is speaking as if Jerusalem were a princess who has been reduced to slavery. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation, or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [The city that once ruled over the provinces now serves them]

Parallel LAM 1:1