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Friday, September 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Amplified Bible

Lamentations 1:11

All her people groan, seeking bread; They have exchanged their desirable and precious things for food To restore their lives. "See, O LORD, and consider How despised and repulsive I have become!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Famine;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Bread;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Bread, Bread of Presence;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Lamentations, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gentile;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All her people groanwhile they search for bread.They have traded their precious belongings for foodin order to stay alive.Lord, look and seehow I have become despised.
Hebrew Names Version
All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: Look, LORD, and see; for I am become abject.
King James Version
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O Lord , and consider; for I am become vile.
English Standard Version
All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. "Look, O Lord , and see, for I am despised."
New American Standard Bible
All her people groan, seeking bread; They have given their treasures for food To restore their lives. "See, LORD, and look, For I am despised."
New Century Version
All of Jerusalem's people groan, looking for bread. They are trading their precious things for food so they can stay alive. The city says, "Look, Lord , and see. I am hated."
World English Bible
All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: Look, Yahweh, and see; for I am become abject.
Geneva Bible (1587)
All her people sigh and seeke their bread: they haue giuen their pleasant thinges for meate to refresh the soule: see, O Lorde, and consider: for I am become vile.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
All her people groan seeking bread; They have given their precious things for food To restore their lives themselves. "See, O LORD, and look, For I am despised."
Legacy Standard Bible
All her people are sighing, seeking bread;They have given their desirable things for foodTo restore their souls."See, O Yahweh, and look,For I am despised."
Berean Standard Bible
All her people groan as they search for bread. They have traded their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. Look, O LORD, and consider, for I have become despised.
Contemporary English Version
Everyone in the city groans while searching for food; they trade their valuables for barely enough scraps to stay alive. Jerusalem Speaks: Jerusalem shouts to the Lord , "Please look and see how miserable I am!"
Complete Jewish Bible
All her people are groaning, as they search for something to eat. They barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. "Look, Adonai ! See how despised I am.
Darby Translation
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their precious things for food to revive [their] soul. See, Jehovah, and consider, for I am become vile.
Easy-to-Read Version
All the people of Jerusalem are groaning. All of her people are looking for food. They are giving away all their nice things for food to stay alive. Jerusalem says, "Look, Lord . Look at me! See how people hate me.
George Lamsa Translation
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their precious things for food to relieve their soul; see, O LORD, and consider; for I am despised.
Good News Translation
Her people groan as they look for something to eat; They exchange their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. "Look at me, Lord ," the city cries; "see me in my misery."
Lexham English Bible
All her people groan, they are searching for bread. They give their treasures for food, to bring back life. See, O Yahweh, and look, how I am despised.
Literal Translation
All her people sigh from seeking bread. They gave their desirable things for food to revive the soul. See, O Jehovah, and look on me , for I have become vile.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All hir people seke their bred with heuynes, & loke what precious thinge euery man hath, that geueth he for meate, to saue his life. Considre (O LORDE) and se, how vyle I am become.
American Standard Version
All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: See, O Jehovah, and behold; for I am become abject.
Bible in Basic English
Breathing out grief all her people are looking for bread; they have given their desired things for food to give them life: see, O Lord, and take note; for she has become a thing of shame.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul. 'See, O LORD, and behold, how abject I am become.'
King James Version (1611)
All her people sigh, they seek bread, they haue giuen their pleasant things for meate to relieue the soule: see, O Lord, & consider: for I am become vile.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
All her people seeke their bread with heauinesse, and loke what precious thyng euery man hath, that geueth he for meate to saue his lyfe: Consider O Lorde, and see howe vile I am become.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
CHAPH. All her people groan, seeking bread: they have given their desirable things for meat, to restore their soul: behold, Lord, and look; for she is become dishonoured.
English Revised Version
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to refresh the soul: see, O LORD, and behold; for I am become vile.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Caph. Al the puple therof was weilinge and sekynge breed, thei yauen alle preciouse thingis for mete, to coumforte the soule; se thou, Lord, and biholde, for Y am maad vijl.
Update Bible Version
All her people sigh, they seek bread; They have given their pleasant things for food to refresh the soul: See, O Yahweh, and behold; for I have become abject.
Webster's Bible Translation
All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for food to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile.
New English Translation

כ (Kaf)

All her people groaned as they searched for a morsel of bread. They exchanged their valuables for just enough food to stay alive. "Look, O Lord ! Consider that I have become worthless!"
New King James Version
All her people sigh, They seek bread; They have given their valuables for food to restore life. "See, O LORD, and consider, For I am scorned."
New Living Translation
Her people groan as they search for bread. They have sold their treasures for food to stay alive. "O Lord , look," she mourns, "and see how I am despised.
New Life Bible
All her people cry inside themselves as they look for bread. They have traded their things of much worth for food to have strength. "Look and see, O Lord, for I am hated.
New Revised Standard
All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. Look, O Lord , and see how worthless I have become.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All her people, are sighing, seeking bread, They have given their precious things for food, to bring back life, - Behold, O Yahweh, and discern, that I have become worthless.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Caph. All her people sigh, they seek bread: they have given all their precious things for food to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and consider, for I am become vile.
Revised Standard Version
All her people groan as they search for bread; they trade their treasures for food to revive their strength. "Look, O LORD, and behold, for I am despised."
Young's Literal Translation
All her people are sighing -- seeking bread, They have given their desirable things For food to refresh the body; See, O Jehovah, and behold attentively, For I have been lightly esteemed.
THE MESSAGE
All the people groaned, so desperate for food, so desperate to stay alive that they bartered their favorite things for a bit of breakfast: "O God , look at me! Worthless, cheap, abject!

Contextual Overview

1How solitary and lonely sits the city [Jerusalem] That was [once] full of people! How like a widow she has become. She who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces, Has become a forced laborer! 2She weeps bitterly in the night And her tears are [constantly] on her cheeks; Among all her lovers (political allies) She has no one to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies. 3Judah has gone into exile under affliction And under harsh servitude; She dwells among the [pagan] nations, But she has found no rest; All her pursuers have overtaken her In the midst of [her] distress. 4The roads to Zion are in mourning Because no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests are groaning, Her virgins are grieved and suffering, And she suffers bitterly. 5Her adversaries have become her masters, Her enemies prosper; For the LORD has caused her grief Because of the multitude of her transgressions; Her young children have gone Into captivity before the enemy. 6All her beauty and majesty Have departed from the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem). Her princes have become like deer That have found no pasture; They have fled without strength Before the pursuer. 7In the days of her affliction and homelessness Jerusalem remembers all her precious things That she had from the days of old, When her people fell into the hand of the adversary, And no one helped her, The enemy saw her, They mocked at her downfall. 8Jerusalem sinned greatly; Therefore she has become an unclean thing [and has been removed]. All who honored her [now] despise her Because they have seen her nakedness; Even she herself groans and turns [her face] away. 9Her (ceremonial) uncleanness was on her skirts; She did not [seriously] consider her future. Therefore she has come down [from throne to slavery] in an astonishing manner; She has no comforter. "O LORD" [cries Jerusalem], "look at my affliction, For the enemy has magnified himself [in triumph]!" 10The adversary has spread out his hand Over all her precious and desirable things; For she has seen the [Gentile] nations enter her sanctuary (the Jerusalem temple)— The ones whom You commanded That they should not enter into Your congregation [not even in the outer courts].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

seek: Lamentations 1:19, Lamentations 2:12, Lamentations 4:4-10, Deuteronomy 28:52-57, 2 Kings 6:25, Jeremiah 19:9, Jeremiah 38:9, Jeremiah 52:6, Ezekiel 4:15-17, Ezekiel 5:16, Ezekiel 5:17

relieve the soul: Heb. make the soul to come again, 1 Samuel 30:11, 1 Samuel 30:12

see: Lamentations 1:9, Lamentations 1:20, Lamentations 2:20, Job 40:4, Psalms 25:15-19

Reciprocal: Genesis 47:19 - buy us Psalms 9:13 - consider Isaiah 64:11 - all our Jeremiah 12:10 - trodden Lamentations 1:4 - her priests Lamentations 1:8 - she sigheth Lamentations 1:21 - have heard that Ezekiel 4:16 - eat

Cross-References

Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place [of standing, pooling together], and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.
Genesis 1:13
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
Genesis 1:14
Then God said, "Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God's provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years;
Genesis 1:16
God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].
Genesis 1:17
God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth,
Genesis 1:20
Then God said, "Let the waters swarm and abundantly produce living creatures, and let birds soar above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens."
Genesis 1:29
So God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
Genesis 2:5
no shrub or plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground,
Genesis 2:9
And [in that garden] the LORD God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil.
Genesis 2:16
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All her people sigh,.... Not her priests only, Lamentations 1:4; but all the common people, because of their affliction, particularly for want of bread. So the Targum,

"all the people of Jerusalem sigh because of the famine;''

for it follows:

they seek bread; to eat, as the Targum; inquire where it is to be had, but in vain:

they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: or, "to cause the soul to return" x; to fetch it back when fainting and swooning away through famine; and therefore would give anything for food; part with their rich clothes, jewels, and precious stones; with whatsoever they had that was valuable in their cabinets or coffers, that they might have meat to keep from fainting and dying; to refresh and recruit their spirits spent with hunger:

see, O Lord, and consider; for I am become vile; mean, base, and contemptible, in the eyes of men, through penury and want of food; through poverty, affliction, and distress; and therefore desires the Lord would consider her case, and look with pity and compassion on her.

x להשיב נפש "ad reducendum animam", Montanus, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Sigh ... seek - Are sighing ... are seeking. The words are present participles, describing the condition of the people. After a siege lasting a year and a half the whole country, far and near, would be exhausted.

To relieve the soul - See the margin, i. e. to bring back life to them. They bring out their jewels and precious articles to obtain with them at least a meal.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 11. They have given their pleasant things — Jerusalem is compared to a woman brought into great straits, who parts with her jewels and trinkets in order to purchase by them the necessaries of life.


 
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