Lamentations 5

1 Remember, O what is LORD, come upon us: behold, and see our reproach.

Lord, haue thou mynde what bifelle to vs; se thou, and biholde oure schenschipe.

2 Our inheritance is turned unto strangers, our houses unto aliens.

Oure eritage is turned to aliens, oure housis ben turned to straungers.

3 We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.

We ben maad fadirles children with out fadir; oure modris ben as widewis.

4 We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.

We drunken oure watir for monei, we bouyten oure trees for siluer.

5 Our pursuers are upon our necks: we are weary, and have no rest.

We weren dryuun bi oure heedis, and reste was not youun to feynt men.

6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

We yauen hond to Egipt, and to Assiriens, that we schulden be fillid with breed.

7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

Oure fadris synneden, and ben not, and we baren the wickidnessis of hem.

8 Servants rule over us: there is none to deliver us out of their hand.

Seruauntis weren lordis of vs, and noon was, that ayenbouyte fro the hond of hem.

9 We get our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.

In oure lyues we brouyten breed to vs, fro the face of swerd in desert.

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

Oure skynne is brent as a furneis, of the face of tempestis of hungur.

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

Thei maden low wymmen in Sion, and virgyns in the citees of Juda.

12 Princes were hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.

Princes weren hangid bi the hond; thei weren not aschamed of the faces of elde men.

13 The young men bare the mill, and the children stumbled under the wood.

Thei mysusiden yonge wexynge men vnchastli, and children fellen doun in tree.

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

Elde men failiden fro yatis; yonge men failiden of the queer of singeris.

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

The ioie of oure herte failide; oure song is turned in to mourenyng.

16 The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us! for we have sinned.

The coroun of oure heed fellen doun; wo to vs! for we synneden.

17 For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim;

Therfor oure herte is maad soreuful, therfor oure iyen ben maad derk.

18 For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate; the foxes walk upon it.

For the hil of Sion, for it perischide; foxis yeden in it.

19 Thou, O LORD, abidest for ever; thy throne is from generation to generation.

But thou, Lord, schal dwelle with outen ende; thi seete schal dwelle in generacioun and in to generacioun.

20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, [and] forsake us so long time?

Whi schalt thou foryete vs with outen ende, schalt thou forsake vs in to lengthe of daies?

21 Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

Lord, conuerte thou vs to thee, and we schal be conuertid; make thou newe oure daies, as at the bigynnyng.

22 But thou hast utterly rejected us, thou art very wroth against us.

But thou castynge awei hast cast awei vs; thou art wrooth ayens vs greetli.