Lamentations 5

5TH CHAPTER

A Prayer of the Prophet

¹“Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us. 

Take a look at our disgrace! 

²“The land we inherited has been turned over to strangers. 

Our homes have been turned over to foreigners. 

³We are orphans without a father. 

Our mothers are like widows. 

⁴We have to pay to drink our own water. 

We have to pay to chop our own wood. 

⁵⸤Our enemies⸥ are breathing down our necks. 

We are worn out ⸤and⸥ not permitted to rest. 

⁶We had to beg Egypt and Assyria for food.^a

⁷Our ancestors sinned. 

Now they are gone, 

⸤but⸥ we have to take the punishment for their wickedness. 

⁸Slaves rule us. 

There is no one to rescue us from them. 

⁹To get our food, we have to risk our lives 

in the heatof the desert. 

¹⁰Our skin is as hot as an oven from the burning heat of starvation. 

¹¹Women in Zion are raped, so are the girls in the cities of Judah. 

¹²⸤Our⸥ leaders are hung by their hands. 

⸤Our⸥ older leaders are shown no respect. 

¹³⸤Our⸥ young men work at the mill, 

and ⸤our⸥ boys stagger under loads of wood. 

¹⁴⸤Our⸥ older leaders have stopped meeting at the city gate, 

and ⸤our⸥ young men no longer play their music. 

¹⁵There is no joy left in our hearts. 

Our dancing has turned into mourning. 

¹⁶The crown has fallen from our head. 

Because we have sinned, it has been disastrous for us. 

¹⁷This is why we feel sick. 

This is why our eyes see less and less. 

¹⁸Foxes roam around on Mount Zion, which lies in ruins. 

¹⁹“But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever, 

and your reign continues throughout every generation. 

²⁰Why have you completely forgotten us? 

Why have you abandoned us for such a long time? 

²¹O Lord, bring us back to you, and we’ll come back. 

Give us back the life we had long ago, 

²²unless you have completely rejected us 

⸤and⸥ are very angry with us.”