Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
Remember, LORD, what has come on us. Look, and see our disgrace.
2 Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
Our inheritance is turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.
3 Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
We are orphans and fatherless. Our mothers are like widows.
4 Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
We have to pay for a drink of water; our wood is sold to us.
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, and have no rest.
6 To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
We have submitted to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians, to get enough bread.
7 Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
Our fathers sinned, and are no more; but we have borne their iniquities.
8 Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
Servants rule over us: There is none to deliver 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 get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin, as with a furnace, is scorched, because of the hot winds of famine.
Our skin is hot like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.
11 Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
They raped the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
Princes were hung by their hands; elders were shown no respect.
13 Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
The young men grind at the mill; the boys stagger under loads of wood.
14 Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
The elders have gone 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 has ceased; our dancing 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 to 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 grow dim.
18 Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate; the foxes walk on it.
19 Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
But you, LORD, abide forever; your throne is from generation to generation.
20 Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long?
21 Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
Restore us to you, LORD, and we shall be restored; renew our days as in former times,
22 For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
unless you have completely rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.
