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