Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O YHWH, what has befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.
Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
2 Our inheritance has been turned to strangers, Our houses to foreigners.
Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
3 Orphans we have been—without a 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 comes for a price.
Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
5 For our neck we have been pursued, We have labored—there has been no rest for us.
Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
6 [To] Egypt we have given a 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—they 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 no deliverer from their hand.
Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
9 With our lives we bring in 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 as an oven has been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.
Our skin, as with a furnace, is scorched, because of the hot winds of famine.
11 Wives in Zion they have humbled, Virgins—in cities of Judah.
Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
12 Princes have been hanged by their hand, Elderly faces have not been honored.
Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
13 They have taken young men to grind, And youths have stumbled with wood.
Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
14 Elderly have ceased from the gate, Young men from their song.
Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
15 The joy of our heart has ceased, Our dancing has been turned to mourning.
Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
16 The crown has fallen [from] our head, Woe [is] now to us, for we have sinned.
Fallen is the crown of our head. Surely woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 Our heart has been sick for this, Our eyes have been dim for these.
For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
18 For the Mount of Zion—that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.
Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
19 You, O YHWH, remain for all time, Your throne to generation and generation.
Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
20 Why do You forget us forever? You forsake us for [the] length of [our] days!
Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
21 Turn us back, O YHWH, to You, And we turn back, 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 have You utterly rejected us? You have been angry against us—exceedingly?
For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
