People who once ate the finest foods die starving in the streets; those raised in luxury are pawing through garbage for food.

The LORD had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself. He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.

Our leaders have been taken and hanged; our elders are shown no respect.

The old people no longer sit at the city gate, and the young people no longer make music.

Then they sat there on the ground with him for seven days and nights without saying a word, because they saw how much he was suffering.

The city gates will mourn and cry, and the city itself will be like a woman sitting on the ground, stripped naked.

The LORD says, "Babylon, come down from your throne, and sit in the dust on the ground. You were once like a virgin, a city unconquered, but you are soft and delicate no longer! You are now a slave!

The LORD says to Babylon, "Sit in silence and darkness; no more will they call you the queen of nations!

How lonely lies Jerusalem, once so full of people! Once honored by the world, she is now like a widow; The noblest of cities has fallen into slavery.

When we suffer, we should sit alone in silent patience;

"Why are we sitting still?" God's people ask. "Come on, we will run to the fortified cities and die there. The LORD our God has condemned us to die; he has given us poison to drink, because we have sinned against him.

And so, keeping quiet in such evil times is the smart thing to do!

On that day the songs in the palace will become cries of mourning. There will be dead bodies everywhere. They will be cast out in silence."

Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief, threw themselves to the ground before the LORD's Covenant Box, and lay there till evening, with dust on their heads to show their sorrow.

She sprinkled ashes on her head, tore her robe, and with her face buried in her hands went away crying.

While they were still a long way off they saw Job, but did not recognize him. When they did, they began to weep and wail, tearing their clothes in grief and throwing dust into the air and on their heads.

They threw dust on their heads, they cried and mourned, saying, "How terrible! How awful for the great city! She is the city where all who have ships sailing the seas became rich on her wealth! And in one hour she has lost everything!"

The people in the streets are dressed in sackcloth; in the city squares and on the rooftops people mourn and cry.

Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in grief and went and reported to the king what the Assyrian official had said.

They will put on sackcloth and they will tremble all over. Their heads will be shaved, and they will all be disgraced.

They shave their heads for you And dress themselves in sackcloth. Their hearts are bitter as they weep.

Cry, you people, like a young woman who mourns the death of the man she was going to marry.

No one comes to the Temple now to worship on the holy days. The young women who sang there suffer, and the priests can only groan. The city gates stand empty, and Zion is in agony.

On that day even healthy young men and women will collapse from thirst.