Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us: behold, and look on our reproach.
Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
2 Our inheritance has been turned away to aliens, our houses to strangers:
Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
3 we are become orphans, we have no father, our mothers are as widows.
Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
4 We have drunk our water for money; our wood is sold to us [for a burden] on our neck:
Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
5 we have been persecuted, we have laboured, we have had no rest.
Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
6 Egypt gave the hand [to us], Assur to their own satisfaction.
To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers sinned, [and] are not: we have borne their iniquities.
Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
8 Servants have ruled over us: there is none to ransom [us] out of their hand.
Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
9 We shall bring in our bread with [danger of] our lives, because of the sword of the wilderness.
At the risk of our life, do we bring in our bread, because of the sword of the desert.
10 Our skin is blackened like an oven; they are convulsed, because of the storms of famine.
Our skin, as with a furnace, is scorched, because of the hot winds of famine.
11 They humbled the women in Sion, the virgins in the cities of Juda.
Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
12 Princes were hanged up by their hands: the elders were not honoured.
Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
13 The chosen men lifted up [the voice in] weeping, and the youths fainted under the wood.
Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
14 And the elders ceased from the gate, the chosen men ceased from their music.
Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
15 The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
16 The crown has fallen [from] our head: yes, woe to us! for we have sinned.
Fallen is the crown of our head. Surely woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 For this has grief come; our heart is sorrowful: for this our eyes are darkened.
For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
18 Over the mountain of Sion, because it is made desolate, foxes have walked therein.
Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
19 But you, O Lord, shall dwell for ever; your throne [shall endure] to generation and generation.
Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
20 Therefore will you utterly forget us, and abandon us a long time?
Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
21 Turn us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be turned; and renew our days as before.
Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
22 For you have indeed rejected us; you have been very angry against us.
For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
