Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
Remember, O Jehovah, what hath befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.
2 Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
Our inheritance hath been turned to strangers, Our houses to foreigners.
3 Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
Orphans we have been — without a father, our mothers [are] as widows.
4 Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
Our water for money we have drunk, Our wood for a price doth come.
5 Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
For our neck we have been pursued, We have laboured — there hath been no rest for us.
6 To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
[To] Egypt we have given a hand, [To] Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
Our fathers have sinned — they are not, We their iniquities have borne.
8 Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
Servants have ruled over us, A deliverer there is none from their hand.
9 At the risk of our life, do we bring in our bread, because of the sword of the desert.
With our lives we bring in our bread, 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 as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.
11 Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
Wives in Zion they have humbled, Virgins — in cities of Judah.
12 Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
Princes by their hand have been hanged, The faces of elders have not been honoured.
13 Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
Young men to grind they have taken, And youths with wood have stumbled.
14 Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
The aged from the gate have ceased, Young men from their song.
15 Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
Ceased hath the joy of our heart, Turned to mourning hath been our dancing.
16 Fallen is the crown of our head. Surely woe to us, for we have sinned.
Fallen hath the crown [from] our head, Woe [is] now to us, for we have sinned.
17 For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
For this hath our heart been sick, For these have our eyes been dim.
18 Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
For the mount of Zion — that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.
19 Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
Thou, O Jehovah, to the age remainest, Thy throne to generation and generation.
20 Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
Why for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days!
21 Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
Turn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.
22 For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
For hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us — exceedingly?
