Lamentations 5

1 Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us; consider, and see our reproach.

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

2 Our inheritance is turned 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 Our water have we to drink for money, our wood cometh unto us for a price.

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

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

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

6 We have given the hand to Egypt, [and] to Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.

[To] Egypt we have given a hand, [To] Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.

7 Our fathers have sinned, [and] they are not; and we bear their iniquities.

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

8 Bondmen rule over us: there is no deliverer out of their hand.

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

9 We have to get our bread at the risk of our lives, because of the sword of the wilderness.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13 The young men have borne the mill, and the youths have stumbled under the wood.

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

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

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

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

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

16 The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto 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 have grown dim,

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

18 Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: foxes walk over it.

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

19 Thou, Jehovah, dwellest for ever; thy throne is from generation to generation.

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

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

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

21 Turn thou us unto thee, Jehovah, and we shall 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 Or is it that thou hast utterly rejected us? Wouldest thou be exceeding wroth against us?

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