Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Lord, what hath occurred to us, look down, and behold our disgrace.
Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
2 Our inheritance is turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.
Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
3 Orphans are we become, and [we are] without a father, our mothers are like widows.
Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
4 Our water have we drunk for money: our wood cometh to us for a purchase price.
Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
5 Up to our necks are we pursued: we are fatigued, and no rest is allowed us.
Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
6 To Egypt do we stretch out our hand, to Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.
To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are no more; but we have indeed to bear their iniquities.
Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
8 Servants rule over us: no one delivereth us out of their hand.
Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
9 At the peril of our life must we bring home our bread, 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 gloweth like an oven, because of the heat of famine.
Our skin, as with a furnace, is scorched, because of the hot winds of famine.
11 Women have they ravished in Zion, virgins, in the cities of Judah.
Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
12 Princes were hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honored.
Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
13 Young men they bore to the mill, and boys stumbled under the wood.
Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
14 The elders have ceased from the gate, young men, from their singing.
Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
15 Ceased hath the joy of our heart: our dance is changed into mourning.
Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
16 Fallen is the crown of our head: woe to us, for we have sinned.
Fallen is the crown of our head. Surely woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 Because of this is our heart made sick; for these things are our eyes dimmed;
For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
18 Because of the mount of Zion which is wasted, foxes walk about on it.
Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
19 O thou, Lord, wilt truly abide for ever, thy throne existeth throughout all generations.
Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
20 Wherefore wilt thou forget us for ever! wilt thou forsake us for so long a time?
Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
21 Cause us to return, O Lord, unto thee, and we will return: renew our days as of old.
Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
22 For wouldst thou entirely reject us, be wroth with us to the uttermost?
For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
