Lamentations 5
1 Yahweh, think about what has happened to us. See that we have been disgraced.
Keep in mind, O Lord, what has come to us: take note and see our shame.
2 Foreigners have seized our property, [and now] they live in our homes.
Our heritage is given up to men of strange lands, our houses to those who are not our countrymen.
3 [Our enemies] have killed our fathers; they caused our mothers to become widows.
We are children without fathers, our mothers are like widows.
4 [Now] we are required to pay for water to drink, and we must pay [a lot of money] for firewood.
We give money for a drink of water, we get our wood for a price.
5 [It is as though] those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted, but they do not allow us to rest.
Our attackers are on our necks: overcome with weariness, we have no rest.
6 In order to get enough food [to remain alive], we went to Egypt and Assyria and offered to work [for the people there].
We have given our hands to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians so that we might have enough bread.
7 Our ancestors sinned, and now they are dead, but we are being punished for the sins that they committed.
Our fathers were sinners and are dead; and the weight of their evil-doing is on us.
8 [Officials from Babylon] who were [previously] slaves [now] rule over us, and there is no one who can rescue us from their power.
Servants are ruling over us, and there is no one to make us free from their hands.
9 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.
We put our lives in danger to get our bread, because of the sword of the waste land.
10 Our skin has become hot like [SIM] an oven, and we have a very high fever because we are extremely hungry.
Our skin is heated like an oven because of our burning heat from need of food.
11 [Our enemies] have raped the women in Jerusalem, [and they have done that to] the young women in [all] the towns of Judea.
They took by force the women in Zion, the virgins in the towns of Judah.
12 [Our enemies] have hanged our leaders, and they do not respect our elders.
Their hands put princes to death by hanging: the faces of old men were not honoured.
13 They force our young men to grind [flour] with millstones, and boys stagger while they [are forced to] carry [heavy] loads of firewood.
The young men were crushing the grain, and the boys were falling under the wood.
14 [Our] elders no longer sit at the city gates [to make important decisions]; the young men no longer play their musical [instruments].
The old men are no longer seated in the doorway, and the music of the young men has come to an end.
15 We [SYN] are no longer joyful; instead of dancing [joyfully], we now mourn.
The joy of our hearts is ended; our dancing is changed into sorrow.
16 The wreaths [of flowers] have fallen off our heads. Terrible things have happened to us because of the sins that we committed.
The crown has been taken from our head: sorrow is ours, for we are sinners.
17 We [SYN] are tired and discouraged [IDM], and we cannot see well because our eyes are [full of tears].
Because of this our hearts are feeble; for these things our eyes are dark;
18 Jerusalem is [completely] deserted, and jackals/wolves prowl around it.
Because of the mountain of Zion which is a waste; jackals go over it.
19 But Yahweh, you rule forever! You continue to rule [MTY] from one generation to the next generation.
You, O Lord, are seated as King for ever; the seat of your power is eternal.
20 [So] why [RHQ] have you forgotten us? Why [RHQ] have you abandoned us for a very long time?
Why have we gone from your memory for ever? why have you been turned away from us for so long?
21 [Please] enable us to return to you, and enable us to prosper [MTY] as we did previously.
Make us come back to you, O Lord, and let us be turned; make our days new again as in the past.
22 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!
But you have quite given us up; you are full of wrath against us.
