Lamentations 5
1 Remember, Yahweh, what has happened to us; look and see our disgrace.
Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us. Consider and look kindly upon our disgrace.
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers; our houses to foreigners.
Our inheritance has been turned over to foreigners; our houses to outsiders.
3 We have become orphans, the fatherless, and our mothers are like widows.
We have become orphans without a father; our mothers are like widows.
4 We must pay silver for the water we drink, and we must pay silver to get our own wood.
We paid for our drinking water. We acquired our wood for a price.
5 Those who are coming after us are close behind us; we are weary and we can find no rest.
We were dragged by our necks. Being weary, no rest was given to us.
6 We have given ourselves to Egypt and to Assyria to get enough food.
We have given our hand to Egypt and to the Assyrians, so that we may be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers sinned, and they are no more, and we bear their iniquities.
Our fathers have sinned, and are not. And we have carried their iniquities.
8 Slaves rule over us, and there is no one to deliver us from their hand.
Servants have become rulers over us. There was no one to redeem us from their hand.
9 We get our bread only by risking our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
We obtained our bread at the risk of our lives, before the face of the sword, in the wilderness.
10 Our skin has grown as hot as an oven because of the burning heat of hunger.
Our skin was burned, as if by an oven, before the face of the tempest of the famine.
11 Women are raped in Zion, and virgins in the cities of Judah.
They humiliated the women in Zion and the virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes are hung up by their own hands, and no honor is shown to the elders.
The leaders were suspended by their hand. They were not ashamed before the faces of the elders.
13 Young men are forced to grind grain with a millstone, and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.
They have sexually abused the adolescents, and the children were corrupted in the wood.
14 The elders have left the city gate, and the young men have left their music.
The elders have ceased from the gates, the youths from the choir of the psalms.
15 The joy of our heart has ceased and our dancing has turned into mourning.
The gladness of our heart has failed, our singing has been turned into mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!
The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes grow dim
Because of this, our heart became gloomy; for this reason, our eyes have been darkened:
18 for Mount Zion lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it.
because of mount Zion, because it was ruined. Foxes have wandered upon it.
19 But you, Yahweh, reign forever, and you will sit upon your throne from generation to generation.
But you, O Lord, shall remain for eternity, your throne from generation to generation.
20 Why do you forget us forever? Why do you forsake us for so many days?
Why would you forget us forever? Why would you forsake us for a long time?
21 Restore us to yourself, Yahweh, and we will be restored. Renew our days as they were long ago—
Convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted. Renew our days, as from the beginning.
22 unless you have utterly rejected us and you are angry with us beyond measure.
But you have utterly rejected us; you are vehemently angry against us.
