Lamentations 5

1 Remember, LORD, what has come on us. Look, and see our reproach.

Remember, O Jehovah, what hath befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.

2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.

Our inheritance hath been turned to strangers, Our houses to foreigners.

3 We are orphans and fatherless. Our mothers are as widows.

Orphans we have been — without a father, our mothers [are] as widows.

4 We must pay for water to drink. Our wood is sold to us.

Our water for money we have drunk, Our wood for a price doth come.

5 Our pursuers are on our necks. We are weary, and have no rest.

For our neck we have been pursued, We have laboured — there hath been no rest for us.

6 We have given our hands to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, 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 no more. We have borne their iniquities.

Our fathers have sinned — they are not, We their iniquities have borne.

8 Servants rule over us. There is no one to deliver us out of their hand.

Servants have ruled over us, A deliverer there is none from their hand.

9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.

With our lives we bring in our bread, Because of the sword of the wilderness.

10 Our skin is black like an oven, because of the burning heat of famine.

Our skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.

11 They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.

Wives in Zion they have humbled, Virgins — in cities of Judah.

12 Princes were hanged up by their hands. The faces of elders were not honored.

Princes by their hand have been hanged, The faces of elders have not been honoured.

13 The young men carry millstones. The children stumbled under loads of wood.

Young men to grind they have taken, And youths with wood have stumbled.

14 The elders have ceased from the gate, and the young men from their music.

The aged from the gate have ceased, Young men from their song.

15 The joy of our heart has ceased. Our dance is turned into mourning.

Ceased hath the joy of our heart, Turned to mourning hath been our dancing.

16 The crown has fallen from our head. 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 our heart is faint. For these things our eyes are dim:

For this hath our heart been sick, For these have our eyes been dim.

18 for the mountain of Zion, which is desolate. The foxes walk on it.

For the mount of Zion — that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.

19 You, LORD, remain forever. Your throne is from generation to generation.

Thou, O Jehovah, to the age remainest, Thy throne to generation and generation.

20 Why do you forget us forever, and forsake us for so long a time?

Why for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days!

21 Turn us to yourself, LORD, and we will be turned. Renew our days as of old.

Turn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.

22 But you have utterly rejected us. You are very angry against us.

For hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us — exceedingly?