Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us; consider, and see our reproach.
2 Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.
3 Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.
4 Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
Our water have we to drink for money, our wood cometh unto us for a price.
5 Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
Our pursuers are on our necks: we are weary, we have no rest.
6 To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
We have given the hand to Egypt, [and] to Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
Our fathers have sinned, [and] they are not; and we bear their iniquities.
8 Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
Bondmen rule over us: there is no deliverer 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 have to get our bread at the risk 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 gloweth like an oven, because of the burning heat of the famine.
11 Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
They have ravished the women in Zion, the maids in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
Princes were hanged up by their hand; the faces of elders were not honoured.
13 Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
The young men have borne the mill, and the youths have stumbled under the wood.
14 Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.
15 Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
The joy of our heart hath 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 is fallen from our head: woe unto us, for we have sinned!
17 For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes have grown dim,
18 Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: foxes walk over it.
19 Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
Thou, Jehovah, dwellest for ever; thy throne is from generation to generation.
20 Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, dost thou forsake us so long time?
21 Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
Turn thou us unto thee, Jehovah, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
22 For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
Or is it that thou hast utterly rejected us? Wouldest thou be exceeding wroth against us?
