Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O YHWH, what has befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.
Yahweh, think about what has happened to us. See that we have been disgraced.
2 Our inheritance has been turned to strangers, Our houses to foreigners.
Foreigners have seized our property, [and now] they live in our homes.
3 Orphans we have been—without a father, our mothers [are] as widows.
[Our enemies] have killed our fathers; they caused our mothers to become widows.
4 We have drunk our water for money, Our wood comes for a price.
[Now] we are required to pay for water to drink, and we must pay [a lot of money] for firewood.
5 For our neck we have been pursued, We have labored—there has been no rest for us.
[It is as though] those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted, but they do not allow us to rest.
6 [To] Egypt we have given a hand, [To] Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.
In order to get enough food [to remain alive], we went to Egypt and Assyria and offered to work [for the people there].
7 Our fathers have sinned—they are not, We have borne their iniquities.
Our ancestors sinned, and now they are dead, but we are being punished for the sins that they committed.
8 Servants have ruled over us, There is no deliverer from their hand.
[Officials from Babylon] who were [previously] slaves [now] rule over us, and there is no one who can rescue us from their power.
9 With our lives we bring in our bread, Because of the sword of the wilderness.
When we roam around in the desert searching for food, we are in danger of being killed, because people there kill strangers with their swords.
10 Our skin as an oven has been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.
Our skin has become hot like [SIM] an oven, and we have a very high fever because we are extremely hungry.
11 Wives in Zion they have humbled, Virgins—in cities of Judah.
[Our enemies] have raped the women in Jerusalem, [and they have done that to] the young women in [all] the towns of Judea.
12 Princes have been hanged by their hand, Elderly faces have not been honored.
[Our enemies] have hanged our leaders, and they do not respect our elders.
13 They have taken young men to grind, And youths have stumbled with wood.
They force our young men to grind [flour] with millstones, and boys stagger while they [are forced to] carry [heavy] loads of firewood.
14 Elderly have ceased from the gate, Young men from their song.
[Our] elders no longer sit at the city gates [to make important decisions]; the young men no longer play their musical [instruments].
15 The joy of our heart has ceased, Our dancing has been turned to mourning.
We [SYN] are no longer joyful; instead of dancing [joyfully], we now mourn.
16 The crown has fallen [from] our head, Woe [is] now to us, for we have sinned.
The wreaths [of flowers] have fallen off our heads. Terrible things have happened to us because of the sins that we committed.
17 Our heart has been sick for this, Our eyes have been dim for these.
We [SYN] are tired and discouraged [IDM], and we cannot see well because our eyes are [full of tears].
18 For the Mount of Zion—that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.
Jerusalem is [completely] deserted, and jackals/wolves prowl around it.
19 You, O YHWH, remain for all time, Your throne to generation and generation.
But Yahweh, you rule forever! You continue to rule [MTY] from one generation to the next generation.
20 Why do You forget us forever? You forsake us for [the] length of [our] days!
[So] why [RHQ] have you forgotten us? Why [RHQ] have you abandoned us for a very long time?
21 Turn us back, O YHWH, to You, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.
[Please] enable us to return to you, and enable us to prosper [MTY] as we did previously.
22 For have You utterly rejected us? You have been angry against us—exceedingly?
Please do that, because we hope that [RHQ] you have not rejected us forever and that [RHQ] you do not continue to be extremely angry with us!
