Contents:

1. First poem (Lamentations 1): grief, guilt, and the need for prayer
Human Losses (1:1-6)
Material losses (1:7-11)
Zion's cry culpability (1:12-16)
Comments on Zion's cries (1:17)
Zion's confession and prayer of grievance (1:18-22)

2. Second poem (Lamentations 2) : grief, guilt, and the need for prayer
God's awesome anger at work (2:1-5)
God's systematic destruction of Zion (2:6-10)
A sea of troubles (2:11-17)
A call to Zion to pray and Zion's prayer (2:18-22)

3. Third poem (Lamentations 3) : The wounded healer
His testimony of guilty wounds (3:1-16)
His second thoughts (3:17-24)
The wounded healer's sermon (3:25-39)
His call to the congregation to pray (3:40-51)
His testimony of prayers of appeal and grievance (3:52-66)

4. Fourth poem (Lamentations 3): The wounded healer
Prolonged -- and to be reversed
The cheapening of human life (4:1-6
More horrors of the siege (4:7-11)
How one guilty group suffered (4:12-16)
Despair -- and eventual hope (4:17-22)

5. Fifth poem (Lamentations 5) : The congregation's prayer as turning point
Present distress and confession (5:1-7)
Humiliation, sorrow, and confession (5:8-16)
Challenging cries for help (5:17-22)