In the poetry of Lamentations, trauma emerges at the intersection of empire and violence. To gain a deeper understanding of this unique form of trauma, this project aims to develop a postcolonial trauma-informed hermeneutic for interpreting Lamentations. To achieve this, this project will research three modern contexts that reveal empire-induced traumas: borderlands, genocide, and slavery. In each of these trauma-laden contexts, my research will privilege survivor testimonies, ranging from asylum seekers and Holocaust survivors to Native American artists and first-person accounts of slavery in the United States. Grounded in this modern witness of empire-induced trauma, my proposed hermeneutic seeks to inspire a more empathic reading of the traumatic experiences expressed in Lamentations. Beyond merely filling a gap in the scholarly literature, this project has in view a relevant book resource on trauma that clergy, chaplains, and other religious leaders can use in caring for today’s traumatized victims of empire-building violence. By understanding the profundity and specificity of the traumas expressed in Lamentations, this underutilized biblical book in the North American church can offer a valuable healing resource for ministry in what Roberto Beneduce calls a “chronic atmosphere of uncertainty and violence in which many are forced to live.”