Lamentations 5

Remember what has come upon us

¹Remember, LORD, what has come upon us; \q look, and see how we are put to shame. ²Our inheritance has been handed over to strangers, \q our homes to foreigners. ³We have become orphans, with no father; \q our mothers are like widows. ⁴We have to pay money for the water we drink; \q our own wood comes to us only at a price. ⁵Our pursuers are at our necks; \q we are worn out, and we are given no rest.^{a 6}We pledged ourselves to Egypt \q and to Assyria, to get enough bread. ⁷Our fathers sinned, and they are gone, \q and we carry the weight of their guilt. ⁸Slaves rule over us, \q and no one rescues us from their power. ⁹We risk our lives to bring in our bread, \q because of the sword in the wilderness. ¹⁰Our skin burns like an oven \q with the fever of hunger. ¹¹Women were raped in Zion, \q virgins in the towns of Judah. ¹²Officials were hung up by their hands; \q no respect was shown to the elders.^{b 13}Young men haul the grinding stones, \q and boys stagger under loads of wood. ¹⁴The elders are gone from the city gate, \q the young men from their music. ¹⁵Joy has gone from our hearts; \q our dancing has turned into mourning. ¹⁶Our crown has fallen from our head; \q woe to us, because we have sinned! ¹⁷Because of this our hearts are sick, \q because of these things our eyes grow dim, ¹⁸because of Mount Zion, which lies in ruins, \q with jackals roaming over it.^c

The LORD is enthroned forever

¹⁹You, LORD, are enthroned forever; \q your throne stands through every generation. ²⁰Why do you forget us for all time, \q and abandon us for so long? ²¹Turn us back to yourself, LORD, so that we may return; \q make our days new, as they were long ago, ²²unless you have rejected us completely \q and your anger against us knows no limit.^de