Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us. Look and see our disgrace!
Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider and behold our reproach.
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.
Our inheritance is turned to aliens: our houses to strangers.
3 We have become fatherless orphans; our mothers are widows.
We are become orphans without a father: our mothers are as widows.
4 We must buy the water we drink; our wood comes at a price.
We have drunk our water for money: we have bought our wood.
5 We are closely pursued; we are weary and find no rest.
We were dragged by the necks, we were weary and no rest was given us.
6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread.
We have given our hand to Egypt, and to the Assyrians, that we might be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their punishment.
Our fathers have sinned, and are not: and we have borne their iniquities.
8 Slaves rule over us; there is no one to deliver us from their hands.
Servants have ruled over us: there was none to redeem us out of their hand.
9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the wilderness.
We fetched our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the desert.
10 Our skin is as hot as an oven with fever from our hunger.
Our skin was burnt as an oven, by reason of the violence of the famine.
11 Women have been ravished in Zion, virgins in the cities of Judah.
They oppressed the women in Sion, and the virgins in the cities of Juda.
12 Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders receive no respect.
The princes were hanged up by their hand: they did not respect the persons of the ancient.
13 Young men toil at millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood.
They abused the young men indecently: and the children fell under the wood.
14 The elders have left the city gate; the young men have stopped their music.
The ancients have ceased from the gates: the young men from the choir of the singers.
15 Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.
The joy of our heart is ceased, our dancing is turned into mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
The crown is fallen from our head woe to us, because we have sinned.
17 Because of this, our hearts are faint; because of these, our eyes grow dim—
Therefore is our heart sorrowful, therefore are our eyes become dim,
18 because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate, patrolled by foxes.
For mount Sion, because it is destroyed, foxes have walked upon it.
19 You, O LORD, reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generation.
But thou, O Lord, shalt remain for ever, thy throne from generation to generation.
20 Why have You forgotten us forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long?
Why wilt thou forget us for ever? why wilt thou forsake us for a long time?
21 Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,
Convert us, O Lord, to thee, and we shall be converted: renew our days, as from the beginning.
22 unless You have utterly rejected us and remain angry with us beyond measure.
But thou hast utterly rejected us, thou art exceedingly angry against us.
