Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Lord, what hath occurred to us, look down, and behold our disgrace.
Remember, Yahweh, what has happened to us; look and see our disgrace.
2 Our inheritance is turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers; our houses to foreigners.
3 Orphans are we become, and [we are] without a father, our mothers are like widows.
We have become orphans, the fatherless, and our mothers are like widows.
4 Our water have we drunk for money: our wood cometh to us for a purchase price.
We must pay silver for the water we drink, and we must pay silver to get our own wood.
5 Up to our necks are we pursued: we are fatigued, and no rest is allowed us.
Those who are coming after us are close behind us; we are weary and we can find no rest.
6 To Egypt do we stretch out our hand, to Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.
We have given ourselves to Egypt and to Assyria to get enough food.
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are no more; but we have indeed to bear their iniquities.
Our fathers sinned, and they are no more, and we bear their iniquities.
8 Servants rule over us: no one delivereth us out of their hand.
Slaves rule over us, and there is no one to deliver us from their hand.
9 At the peril of our life must we bring home our bread, because of the sword of the wilderness.
We get our bread only by risking our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin gloweth like an oven, because of the heat of famine.
Our skin has grown as hot as an oven because of the burning heat of hunger.
11 Women have they ravished in Zion, virgins, in the cities of Judah.
Women are raped in Zion, and virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes were hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honored.
Princes are hung up by their own hands, and no honor is shown to the elders.
13 Young men they bore to the mill, and boys stumbled under the wood.
Young men are forced to grind grain with a millstone, and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.
14 The elders have ceased from the gate, young men, from their singing.
The elders have left the city gate, and the young men have left their music.
15 Ceased hath the joy of our heart: our dance is changed into mourning.
The joy of our heart has ceased and our dancing has turned into mourning.
16 Fallen is the crown of our head: woe to us, for we have sinned.
The crown has fallen from our head; 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 our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes grow dim
18 Because of the mount of Zion which is wasted, foxes walk about on it.
for Mount Zion lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it.
19 O thou, Lord, wilt truly abide for ever, thy throne existeth throughout all generations.
But you, Yahweh, reign forever, and you will sit upon your throne from generation to generation.
20 Wherefore wilt thou forget us for ever! wilt thou forsake us for so long a time?
Why do you forget us forever? Why do you forsake us for so many days?
21 Cause us to return, O Lord, unto thee, and we will return: renew our days as of old.
Restore us to yourself, Yahweh, and we will be restored. Renew our days as they were long ago—
22 For wouldst thou entirely reject us, be wroth with us to the uttermost?
unless you have utterly rejected us and you are angry with us beyond measure.
