Lamentations 5
1 Remember, O Yahweh, what hath befallen us, Look around, and see our reproach:
Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us. Consider and look kindly upon our disgrace.
2 Our inheritance, turned over to foreigners, our houses, to aliens.
Our inheritance has been turned over to foreigners; our houses to outsiders.
3 Orphans, have we become, and fatherless, our mothers, are widows indeed.
We have become orphans without a father; our mothers are like widows.
4 Our water—for silver, have we drunk, our wood—for a price, cometh in.
We paid for our drinking water. We acquired our wood for a price.
5 Upon our necks, are our pursuers, We labour, and there is allowed us no rest.
We were dragged by our necks. Being weary, no rest was given to us.
6 To Egypt, have we stretched out our hand, to Assyria, to be satisfied with bread.
We have given our hand to Egypt and to the Assyrians, so that we may be satisfied with bread.
7 Our fathers, sinned, and are not, and, we, their iniquities, have borne.
Our fathers have sinned, and are not. And we have carried their iniquities.
8 Slaves, have ruled over us, There is none to set free from their hand.
Servants have become rulers over us. There was no one to redeem us from their hand.
9 At the risk of our life, do we bring in our bread, because of the sword of the desert.
We obtained our bread at the risk of our lives, before the face of the sword, in the wilderness.
10 Our skin, as with a furnace, is scorched, because of the hot winds of famine.
Our skin was burned, as if by an oven, before the face of the tempest of the famine.
11 Women—in Zion, were ravished, virgins, in the cities of Judah!
They humiliated the women in Zion and the virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes, by their hand, have been hanged, The faces of elders, not honoured.
The leaders were suspended by their hand. They were not ashamed before the faces of the elders.
13 Young men, a millstone, have lifted, and, youths, under wood, have staggered.
They have sexually abused the adolescents, and the children were corrupted in the wood.
14 Elders, from the gates, have ceased. Young men, from their music.
The elders have ceased from the gates, the youths from the choir of the psalms.
15 Ceased hath the joy of our hearts, Changed to mourning, our dance.
The gladness of our heart has failed, our singing has been turned into mourning.
16 Fallen is the crown of our head. Surely woe to us, for we have sinned.
The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 For this cause, faint is our heart, For these things, dimmed are our eyes:
Because of this, our heart became gloomy; for this reason, our eyes have been darkened:
18 Because of Mount Zion, which is desolate, jackals, have gone prowling therein.
because of mount Zion, because it was ruined. Foxes have wandered upon it.
19 Thou, O Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, dost remain, Thy throne, from generation to generation:
But you, O Lord, shall remain for eternity, your throne from generation to generation.
20 Wherefore shouldst thou perpetually forget us? forsake us, to length of days?
Why would you forget us forever? Why would you forsake us for a long time?
21 Bring us back, O Yahweh, unto thyself, and we will come back! Renew our days, as of old;
Convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted. Renew our days, as from the beginning.
22 For though thou hast not, utterly rejected, us, thou art wroth with us—exceedingly!
But you have utterly rejected us; you are vehemently angry against us.
