Lamentations 5

1 Yahweh, think about what has happened to us. See that we have been disgraced.

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

2 Foreigners have seized our property, [and now] they live in our homes.

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

3 [Our enemies] have killed our fathers; they caused our mothers to become widows.

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

4 [Now] we are required to pay for water to drink, and we must pay [a lot of money] for firewood.

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

5 [It is as though] those who pursue us are at our heels; we are exhausted, but they do not allow us to rest.

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

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 the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to 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 borne 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 rule over us: there is none to deliver us out of 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 get our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of 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 is black like an oven because of the burning heat of 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 ravished the women in Zion, the maidens in the cities of Judah.

12 [Our enemies] have hanged our leaders, and they do not respect our elders.

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

13 They force our young men to grind [flour] with millstones, and boys stagger while they [are forced to] carry [heavy] loads of firewood.

The young men bare the mill, and the children stumbled under 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 gate, the young men from their music.

15 We [SYN] are no longer joyful; instead of dancing [joyfully], we now mourn.

The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is 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 is fallen from our head: woe unto 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].

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

18 Jerusalem is [completely] deserted, and jackals/wolves prowl around it.

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

19 But Yahweh, you rule forever! You continue to rule [MTY] from one generation to the next generation.

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

20 [So] why [RHQ] have you forgotten us? Why [RHQ] have you abandoned us for a very long time?

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

21 [Please] enable us to return to you, and enable us to prosper [MTY] as we did previously.

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

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