1 How^[a] she sits alone,^(A)
the city^(B) once crowded with people!
She who was great among the nations
has become like a widow.^(C)
The princess among the provinces
has been put to forced labour.

² She weeps bitterly during the night,^(D)
with tears on her cheeks.
There is no one to offer her comfort,
not one from all her lovers.^[b](E)
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.

² She has fallen;
Virgin Israel^(A) will never rise again.^(B)
She lies abandoned on her land
with no one to raise her up.^(C)