Lamentations 5
1 Yahweh, think about what has happened to us. See that we have been disgraced.
Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us. Consider and look kindly upon our disgrace.
2 Foreigners have seized our property, [and now] they live in our homes.
Our inheritance has been turned over to foreigners; our houses to outsiders.
3 [Our enemies] have killed our fathers; they caused our mothers to become widows.
We have become orphans without a father; 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 paid for our drinking water. We acquired 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.
We were dragged by our necks. Being weary, no rest was given to us.
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 hand to Egypt and to the Assyrians, so that we may be satisfied with bread.
7 Our ancestors sinned, and now they are dead, but we are being punished for the sins that they committed.
Our fathers have sinned, and are not. And we have carried their iniquities.
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 have become rulers over us. There was no one to redeem us from their hand.
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 obtained our bread at the risk of our lives, before the face of the sword, in the wilderness.
10 Our skin has become hot like [SIM] an oven, and we have a very high fever because we are extremely hungry.
Our skin was burned, as if by an oven, before the face of the tempest of the famine.
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 humiliated the women in Zion and the virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 [Our enemies] have hanged our leaders, and they do not respect our elders.
The leaders were suspended by their hand. They were not ashamed before the faces of the elders.
13 They force our young men to grind [flour] with millstones, and boys stagger while they [are forced to] carry [heavy] loads of firewood.
They have sexually abused the adolescents, and the children were corrupted in 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 elders have ceased from the gates, the youths from the choir of the psalms.
15 We [SYN] are no longer joyful; instead of dancing [joyfully], we now mourn.
The gladness of our heart has failed, our singing has been turned into mourning.
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 fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 We [SYN] are tired and discouraged [IDM], and we cannot see well because our eyes are [full of tears].
Because of this, our heart became gloomy; for this reason, our eyes have been darkened:
18 Jerusalem is [completely] deserted, and jackals/wolves prowl around it.
because of mount Zion, because it was ruined. Foxes have wandered upon it.
19 But Yahweh, you rule forever! You continue to rule [MTY] from one generation to the next generation.
But you, O Lord, shall remain for eternity, your throne from generation to generation.
20 [So] why [RHQ] have you forgotten us? Why [RHQ] have you abandoned us for a very long time?
Why would you forget us forever? Why would you forsake us for a long time?
21 [Please] enable us to return to you, and enable us to prosper [MTY] as we did previously.
Convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted. Renew our days, as from the beginning.
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 utterly rejected us; you are vehemently angry against us.
