² “Judah mourns
And ^(A)her gates languish;
They sit on the ground ^(B)in mourning,
And the ^(C)cry of Jerusalem has ascended.
³ “Their nobles have ^(D)sent their ^[a]servants for water;
They have come to the ^(E)cisterns and found no water.
They have returned with their vessels empty;
They have been ^(F)put to shame and humiliated,
And they ^(G)cover their heads.
⁴ “Because the ^(H)ground is ^[b]cracked,
For there has been ^(I)no rain on the land;
The ^(J)farmers have been put to shame,
They have covered their heads.
⁵ “For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young,
Because there is ^(K)no grass.
⁶ “The ^(L)wild donkeys stand on the bare heights;
They pant for air like jackals,
Their eyes fail
For there is ^(M)no vegetation.