< Lamentations 5 >
1 Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us: behold, and look on our reproach.
2 Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
Our inheritance has been turned away to aliens, our houses to strangers:
3 Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
we are become orphans, we have no father, our mothers are as widows.
4 Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
We have drunk our water for money; our wood is sold to us [for a burden] on our neck:
5 Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
we have been persecuted, we have laboured, we have had no rest.
6 To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
Egypt gave the hand [to us], Assur to their own satisfaction.
7 Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
Our fathers sinned, [and] are not: we have borne their iniquities.
8 Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
Servants have ruled over us: there is none to ransom [us] out of their hand.
9 At the risk of our life, do we bring in our bread, because of the sword of the desert.
We shall bring in our bread with [danger of] our lives, because of the sword of the wilderness.
10 Our skin, as with a furnace, is scorched, because of the hot winds of famine.
Our skin is blackened like an oven; they are convulsed, because of the storms of famine.
11 Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
They humbled the women in Sion, the virgins in the cities of Juda.
12 Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
Princes were hanged up by their hands: the elders were not honoured.
13 Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
The chosen men lifted up [the voice in] weeping, and the youths fainted under the wood.
14 Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
And the elders ceased from the gate, the chosen men ceased from their music.
15 Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.
16 Fallen is the crown of our head. Surely woe to us, for we have sinned.
The crown has fallen [from] our head: yes, woe to us! for we have sinned.
17 For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
For this has grief come; our heart is sorrowful: for this our eyes are darkened.
18 Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
Over the mountain of Sion, because it is made desolate, foxes have walked therein.
19 Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
But you, O Lord, shall dwell for ever; your throne [shall endure] to generation and generation.
20 Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
Therefore will you utterly forget us, and abandon us a long time?
21 Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
Turn us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be turned; and renew our days as before.
22 For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
For you have indeed rejected us; you have been very angry against us.