Lamentations 5
1 Keep in mind, O Lord, what has come to us: take note and see our shame.
Remember, O Lord, what hath occurred to us, look down, and behold our disgrace.
2 Our heritage is given up to men of strange lands, our houses to those who are not our countrymen.
Our inheritance is turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.
3 We are children without fathers, our mothers are like widows.
Orphans are we become, and [we are] without a father, our mothers are like widows.
4 We give money for a drink of water, we get our wood for a price.
Our water have we drunk for money: our wood cometh to us for a purchase price.
5 Our attackers are on our necks: overcome with weariness, we have no rest.
Up to our necks are we pursued: we are fatigued, and no rest is allowed us.
6 We have given our hands to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians so that we might have enough bread.
To Egypt do we stretch out our hand, to Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers were sinners and are dead; and the weight of their evil-doing is on us.
Our fathers have sinned, and are no more; but we have indeed to bear their iniquities.
8 Servants are ruling over us, and there is no one to make us free from their hands.
Servants rule over us: no one delivereth us out of their hand.
9 We put our lives in danger to get our bread, because of the sword of the waste land.
At the peril of our life must we bring home our bread, because of the sword of the wilderness.
10 Our skin is heated like an oven because of our burning heat from need of food.
Our skin gloweth like an oven, because of the heat of famine.
11 They took by force the women in Zion, the virgins in the towns of Judah.
Women have they ravished in Zion, virgins, in the cities of Judah.
12 Their hands put princes to death by hanging: the faces of old men were not honoured.
Princes were hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honored.
13 The young men were crushing the grain, and the boys were falling under the wood.
Young men they bore to the mill, and boys stumbled under the wood.
14 The old men are no longer seated in the doorway, and the music of the young men has come to an end.
The elders have ceased from the gate, young men, from their singing.
15 The joy of our hearts is ended; our dancing is changed into sorrow.
Ceased hath the joy of our heart: our dance is changed into mourning.
16 The crown has been taken from our head: sorrow is ours, for we are sinners.
Fallen is the crown of our head: woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 Because of this our hearts are feeble; for these things our eyes are dark;
Because of this is our heart made sick; for these things are our eyes dimmed;
18 Because of the mountain of Zion which is a waste; jackals go over it.
Because of the mount of Zion which is wasted, foxes walk about on it.
19 You, O Lord, are seated as King for ever; the seat of your power is eternal.
O thou, Lord, wilt truly abide for ever, thy throne existeth throughout all generations.
20 Why have we gone from your memory for ever? why have you been turned away from us for so long?
Wherefore wilt thou forget us for ever! wilt thou forsake us for so long a time?
21 Make us come back to you, O Lord, and let us be turned; make our days new again as in the past.
Cause us to return, O Lord, unto thee, and we will return: renew our days as of old.
22 But you have quite given us up; you are full of wrath against us.
For wouldst thou entirely reject us, be wroth with us to the uttermost?
