Font Size
Lamentations 4-5
New International Version
Lamentations 4-5
New International Version
4 [a]How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at every street corner.(A)
2 How the precious children of Zion,(B)
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.(C)
4 Because of thirst(D) the infant’s tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;(E)
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them.(F)
5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple(G)
now lie on ash heaps.(H)
6 The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,(I)
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
7 Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
8 But now they are blacker(J) than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;(K)
it has become as dry as a stick.
9 Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of famine;(L)
racked with hunger, they waste away
for lack of food from the field.(M)
10 With their own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,(N)
who became their food
when my people were destroyed.
11 The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;(O)
he has poured out(P) his fierce anger.(Q)
He kindled a fire(R) in Zion
that consumed her foundations.(S)
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.(T)
13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,(U)
who shed within her
the blood(V) of the righteous.
14 Now they grope through the streets
as if they were blind.(W)
They are so defiled with blood(X)
that no one dares to touch their garments.
15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
“Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander(Y) about,
people among the nations say,
“They can stay here no longer.”(Z)
16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.(AA)
The priests are shown no honor,
the elders(AB) no favor.(AC)
17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain(AD) for help;(AE)
from our towers we watched
for a nation(AF) that could not save us.
18 People stalked us at every step,
so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come.(AG)
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles(AH) in the sky;
they chased us(AI) over the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the desert.(AJ)
20 The Lord’s anointed,(AK) our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.(AL)
We thought that under his shadow(AM)
we would live among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.(AN)
But to you also the cup(AO) will be passed;
you will be drunk and stripped naked.(AP)
22 Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;(AQ)
he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
and expose your wickedness.(AR)
5 Remember, Lord, what has happened to us;
look, and see our disgrace.(AS)
2 Our inheritance(AT) has been turned over to strangers,(AU)
our homes(AV) to foreigners.(AW)
3 We have become fatherless,
our mothers are widows.(AX)
4 We must buy the water we drink;(AY)
our wood can be had only at a price.(AZ)
5 Those who pursue us are at our heels;
we are weary(BA) and find no rest.(BB)
6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria(BC)
to get enough bread.
7 Our ancestors(BD) sinned and are no more,
and we bear their punishment.(BE)
8 Slaves(BF) rule over us,
and there is no one to free us from their hands.(BG)
9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives
because of the sword in the desert.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven,
feverish from hunger.(BH)
11 Women have been violated(BI) in Zion,
and virgins in the towns of Judah.
12 Princes have been hung up by their hands;
elders(BJ) are shown no respect.(BK)
13 Young men toil at the millstones;
boys stagger under loads of wood.
14 The elders are gone from the city gate;
the young men have stopped their music.(BL)
15 Joy is gone from our hearts;
our dancing has turned to mourning.(BM)
16 The crown(BN) has fallen from our head.(BO)
Woe to us, for we have sinned!(BP)
17 Because of this our hearts(BQ) are faint,(BR)
because of these things our eyes(BS) grow dim(BT)
18 for Mount Zion,(BU) which lies desolate,(BV)
with jackals prowling over it.
19 You, Lord, reign forever;(BW)
your throne endures(BX) from generation to generation.
20 Why do you always forget us?(BY)
Why do you forsake(BZ) us so long?
21 Restore(CA) us to yourself, Lord, that we may return;
renew our days as of old
22 unless you have utterly rejected us(CB)
and are angry with us beyond measure.(CC)
Footnotes
- Lamentations 4:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Lamentations 4-5
New King James Version
Lamentations 4-5
New King James Version
The Degradation of Zion
4 How the gold has become dim!
How changed the fine gold!
The stones of the sanctuary are [a]scattered
At the head of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
[b]Valuable as fine gold,
How they are [c]regarded (A)as clay pots,
The work of the hands of the potter!
3 Even the jackals present their breasts
To nurse their young;
But the daughter of my people is cruel,
(B)Like ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the infant clings
To the roof of its mouth for thirst;
(C)The young children ask for bread,
But no one breaks it for them.
5 Those who ate delicacies
Are desolate in the streets;
Those who were brought up in scarlet
(D)Embrace ash heaps.
6 The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people
Is greater than the punishment of the (E)sin of Sodom,
Which was (F)overthrown in a moment,
With no hand to help her!
7 Her [d]Nazirites were [e]brighter than snow
And whiter than milk;
They were more ruddy in body than rubies,
Like sapphire in their [f]appearance.
8 Now their appearance is blacker than soot;
They go unrecognized in the streets;
(G)Their skin clings to their bones,
It has become as dry as wood.
9 Those slain by the sword are better off
Than those who die of hunger;
For these (H)pine away,
Stricken for lack of the fruits of the (I)field.
10 The hands of the (J)compassionate women
Have [g]cooked their (K)own children;
They became (L)food for them
In the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The Lord has fulfilled His fury,
(M)He has poured out His fierce anger.
(N)He kindled a fire in Zion,
And it has devoured its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth,
And all inhabitants of the world,
Would not have believed
That the adversary and the enemy
Could (O)enter the gates of Jerusalem—
13 (P)Because of the sins of her prophets
And the iniquities of her priests,
(Q)Who shed in her midst
The blood of the just.
14 They wandered blind in the streets;
(R)They have defiled themselves with blood,
(S)So that no one would touch their garments.
15 They cried out to them,
“Go away, (T)unclean!
Go away, go away,
Do not touch us!”
When they fled and wandered,
Those among the nations said,
“They shall no longer dwell here.”
16 The [h]face of the Lord scattered them;
He no longer regards them.
(U)The people do not respect the priests
Nor show favor to the elders.
17 Still (V)our eyes failed us,
Watching vainly for our help;
In our watching we watched
For a nation that could not save us.
18 (W)They [i]tracked our steps
So that we could not walk in our streets.
(X)Our end was near;
Our days were over,
For our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were (Y)swifter
Than the eagles of the heavens.
They pursued us on the mountains
And lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The (Z)breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord,
(AA)Was caught in their pits,
Of whom we said, “Under his shadow
We shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of (AB)Edom,
You who dwell in the land of Uz!
(AC)The cup shall also pass over to you
And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked.
22 (AD)The punishment of your iniquity [j]is accomplished,
O daughter of Zion;
He will no longer send you into captivity.
(AE)He will punish your iniquity,
O daughter of Edom;
He will uncover your sins!
Prayer for Restoration
5 Remember, (AF)O Lord, what has come upon us;
Look, and behold (AG)our reproach!
2 (AH)Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens,
And our houses to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans and waifs,
Our mothers are like (AI)widows.
4 We pay for the water we drink,
And our wood comes at a price.
5 (AJ)They pursue at our [k]heels;
We labor and have no rest.
6 (AK)We have given our hand (AL)to the Egyptians
And the (AM)Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
7 (AN)Our fathers sinned and are no more,
But we bear their iniquities.
8 Servants rule over us;
There is none to deliver us from their hand.
9 We get our bread at the risk of our lives,
Because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven,
Because of the fever of famine.
11 They (AO)ravished the women in Zion,
The maidens in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes were hung up by their hands,
And elders were not respected.
13 Young men (AP)ground at the millstones;
Boys staggered under loads of wood.
14 The elders have ceased gathering at the gate,
And the young men from their (AQ)music.
15 The joy of our heart has ceased;
Our dance has turned into (AR)mourning.
16 (AS)The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our heart is faint;
(AT)Because of these things our eyes grow dim;
18 Because of Mount Zion which is (AU)desolate,
With foxes walking about on it.
19 You, O Lord, (AV)remain forever;
(AW)Your throne from generation to generation.
20 (AX)Why do You forget us forever,
And forsake us for so long a time?
21 (AY)Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be [l]restored;
Renew our days as of old,
22 Unless You have utterly rejected us,
And are very angry with us!
Footnotes
- Lamentations 4:1 Lit. poured out
- Lamentations 4:2 Lit. Weighed against
- Lamentations 4:2 reckoned
- Lamentations 4:7 Or nobles
- Lamentations 4:7 Or purer
- Lamentations 4:7 Lit. polishing
- Lamentations 4:10 boiled
- Lamentations 4:16 Tg. anger
- Lamentations 4:18 Lit. hunted
- Lamentations 4:22 has been completed
- Lamentations 5:5 Lit. necks
- Lamentations 5:21 returned
Lamentations 4-5
New American Standard Bible
Lamentations 4-5
New American Standard Bible
Distress of the Siege Described
4 How (A)dark the gold has become,
How the pure gold has changed!
The sacred stones are spilled out
At the [a]corner of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
Weighed against pure gold,
How they are regarded as (B)earthenware jars,
The work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even (C)jackals offer the breast,
They nurse their young;
But the daughter of my people has proved herself (D)cruel,
Like (E)ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The (F)tongue of the infant clings
To the roof of its mouth because of (G)thirst;
The children (H)ask for bread,
But no one breaks it for them.
5 Those who used to eat (I)delicacies
Are made to tremble in the streets;
Those who were raised in crimson clothing
Embrace garbage heaps.
6 For the [b]wrongdoing of the daughter of my people
Is greater than the [c](J)sin of Sodom,
Which was (K)overthrown as in a moment,
[d]And no hands were turned toward her.
7 Her [e]consecrated ones were (L)purer than snow,
They shined more than milk;
They were more ruddy in [f]body than pearls of coral,
Their form was like [g](M)lapis lazuli.
8 Their appearance is (N)darker than soot,
They are not recognized in the streets;
Their (O)skin is shriveled on their bones,
It is dry, it has become like wood.
9 Better off are those (P)killed by the sword
Than those killed by hunger;
For they [h](Q)waste away, [i]stricken
By the lack of the produce of the field.
10 The hands of compassionate women
(R)Boiled their own children;
They became (S)food for them
Due to the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The Lord has (T)expended His wrath,
He has poured out His fierce anger;
And He has (U)kindled a fire in Zion,
And it has consumed its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
Nor did any of (V)the inhabitants of the world,
That the adversary and the enemy
Would (W)enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Because of the sins of her (X)prophets
And the wrongdoings of her priests,
Who have shed in her midst
The (Y)blood of the righteous,
14 They wandered, (Z)blind, in the streets;
They were defiled with (AA)blood,
Such that no one could touch their (AB)garments.
15 “Keep away! (AC)Unclean!” [j]they cried out of themselves.
“Keep away, keep away, do not touch!”
For they (AD)distanced themselves as well as wandered;
People among the nations said,
“They shall not continue to reside with us.”
16 The presence of the Lord has scattered them,
He will not continue to look at them;
They did not [k](AE)honor the priests,
They did not favor the elders.
17 Yet our eyes failed,
Looking for [l]help was (AF)useless;
At our observation point we have watched
For a (AG)nation that could not save.
18 They (AH)hunted our steps
So that we could not walk in our streets;
Our (AI)end drew near,
Our days were [m]finished
For our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were (AJ)swifter
Than the eagles of the sky;
They chased us on the mountains,
They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
20 The (AK)breath of our nostrils, the (AL)Lord’s anointed,
Was (AM)captured in their pits,
Of whom we had said, “[n]In his (AN)shadow
We shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be joyful, daughter of (AO)Edom,
Who lives in the land of Uz;
But the (AP)cup will pass to you as well,
You will become drunk and expose yourself.
22 The punishment of your wrongdoing has been (AQ)completed, daughter of Zion;
He will no longer exile you.
But He (AR)will punish your wrongdoing, daughter of Edom;
He will expose your sins!
A Prayer for Mercy
5 Remember, Lord, what has come upon us;
Look, and see our (AS)disgrace!
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to (AT)strangers,
Our (AU)houses to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans, (AV)without a father;
Our mothers are like widows.
4 [o]We have to pay for our drinking (AW)water,
Our wood comes to us at a price.
5 [p]Our pursuers are at our necks;
We are worn out, we are given (AX)no rest.
6 We have [q]submitted to (AY)Egypt and Assyria [r]to get enough bread.
7 Our (AZ)fathers sinned, and are gone;
It is we who have been burdened with the punishment for their wrongdoings.
8 (BA)Slaves rule over us;
There is (BB)no one to rescue us from their hand.
9 We get our bread [s]at the (BC)risk of our lives
Because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin has become as (BD)hot as an oven,
Because of the ravages of hunger.
11 They violated the (BE)women in Zion,
The virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Leaders were hung by their hands;
[t](BF)Elders were not respected.
13 Young men [u](BG)worked at the grinding mill,
And youths (BH)staggered under loads of wood.
14 Elders are absent from the gate,
Young men from their (BI)music.
15 The joy of our hearts has (BJ)ended;
Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
16 The (BK)crown has fallen from our head;
(BL)Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our (BM)heart is faint,
Because of these things our (BN)eyes are dim;
18 Because of (BO)Mount Zion which lies desolate,
(BP)Jackals prowl in it.
19 (BQ)You, Lord, [v]rule forever;
Your (BR)throne is from generation to generation.
20 Why will You (BS)forget us forever?
Why do You abandon us for [w]so long?
21 (BT)Restore us to You, Lord, so that we may be restored;
Renew (BU)our days as of old,
22 Unless (BV)You have utterly rejected us
And are exceedingly (BW)angry with us.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 4:1 Lit head
- Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for wrongdoing
- Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for sin
- Lamentations 4:6 I.e., without human intervention
- Lamentations 4:7 Or Nazirites
- Lamentations 4:7 Lit bones
- Lamentations 4:7 Heb sappir
- Lamentations 4:9 Lit flow away
- Lamentations 4:9 Lit pierced through
- Lamentations 4:15 Or they (other people) cried to them
- Lamentations 4:16 Lit lift up the faces of
- Lamentations 4:17 Lit our help
- Lamentations 4:18 Lit full
- Lamentations 4:20 I.e., under his protection
- Lamentations 5:4 Lit We drink our water with silver
- Lamentations 5:5 Lit We have been pursued upon
- Lamentations 5:6 Lit given Egypt a hand
- Lamentations 5:6 Lit to be satisfied with
- Lamentations 5:9 Lit with our soul
- Lamentations 5:12 Lit The faces of elders
- Lamentations 5:13 Lit carried the
- Lamentations 5:19 Lit sit
- Lamentations 5:20 Lit length of days
Lamentations 4-5
New Living Translation
Lamentations 4-5
New Living Translation
God’s Anger Satisfied
4 How the gold has lost its luster!
Even the finest gold has become dull.
The sacred gemstones
lie scattered in the streets!
2 See how the precious children of Jerusalem,[a]
worth their weight in fine gold,
are now treated like pots of clay
made by a common potter.
3 Even the jackals feed their young,
but not my people Israel.
They ignore their children’s cries,
like ostriches in the desert.
4 The parched tongues of their little ones
stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst.
The children cry for bread,
but no one has any to give them.
5 The people who once ate the richest foods
now beg in the streets for anything they can get.
Those who once wore the finest clothes
now search the garbage dumps for food.
6 The guilt[b] of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,
where utter disaster struck in a moment
and no hand offered help.
7 Our princes once glowed with health—
brighter than snow, whiter than milk.
Their faces were as ruddy as rubies,
their appearance like fine jewels.[c]
8 But now their faces are blacker than soot.
No one recognizes them in the streets.
Their skin sticks to their bones;
it is as dry and hard as wood.
9 Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of hunger.
Starving, they waste away
for lack of food from the fields.
10 Tenderhearted women
have cooked their own children.
They have eaten them
to survive the siege.
11 But now the anger of the Lord is satisfied.
His fierce anger has been poured out.
He started a fire in Jerusalem[d]
that burned the city to its foundations.
12 Not a king in all the earth—
no one in all the world—
would have believed that an enemy
could march through the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the sins of her priests,
who defiled the city
by shedding innocent blood.
14 They wandered blindly
through the streets,
so defiled by blood
that no one dared touch them.
15 “Get away!” the people shouted at them.
“You’re defiled! Don’t touch us!”
So they fled to distant lands
and wandered among foreign nations,
but none would let them stay.
16 The Lord himself has scattered them,
and he no longer helps them.
People show no respect for the priests
and no longer honor the leaders.
17 We looked in vain for our allies
to come and save us,
but we were looking to nations
that could not help us.
18 We couldn’t go into the streets
without danger to our lives.
Our end was near; our days were numbered.
We were doomed!
19 Our enemies were swifter than eagles in flight.
If we fled to the mountains, they found us.
If we hid in the wilderness,
they were waiting for us there.
20 Our king—the Lord’s anointed, the very life of our nation—
was caught in their snares.
We had thought that his shadow
would protect us against any nation on earth!
21 Are you rejoicing in the land of Uz,
O people of Edom?
But you, too, must drink from the cup of the Lord’s anger.
You, too, will be stripped naked in your drunkenness.
22 O beautiful Jerusalem,[e] your punishment will end;
you will soon return from exile.
But Edom, your punishment is just beginning;
soon your many sins will be exposed.
Prayer for Restoration
5 Lord, remember what has happened to us.
See how we have been disgraced!
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our homes to foreigners.
3 We are orphaned and fatherless.
Our mothers are widowed.
4 We have to pay for water to drink,
and even firewood is expensive.
5 Those who pursue us are at our heels;
we are exhausted but are given no rest.
6 We submitted to Egypt and Assyria
to get enough food to survive.
7 Our ancestors sinned, but they have died—
and we are suffering the punishment they deserved!
8 Slaves have now become our masters;
there is no one left to rescue us.
9 We hunt for food at the risk of our lives,
for violence rules the countryside.
10 The famine has blackened our skin
as though baked in an oven.
11 Our enemies rape the women in Jerusalem[f]
and the young girls in all the towns of Judah.
12 Our princes are being hanged by their thumbs,
and our elders are treated with contempt.
13 Young men are led away to work at millstones,
and boys stagger under heavy loads of wood.
14 The elders no longer sit in the city gates;
the young men no longer dance and sing.
15 Joy has left our hearts;
our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The garlands have[g] fallen from our heads.
Weep for us because we have sinned.
17 Our hearts are sick and weary,
and our eyes grow dim with tears.
18 For Jerusalem[h] is empty and desolate,
a place haunted by jackals.
19 But Lord, you remain the same forever!
Your throne continues from generation to generation.
20 Why do you continue to forget us?
Why have you abandoned us for so long?
21 Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again!
Give us back the joys we once had!
22 Or have you utterly rejected us?
Are you angry with us still?
Lamentations 4-5
The Message
Lamentations 4-5
The Message
Waking Up with Nothing
4 Oh, oh, oh . . .
How gold is treated like dirt,
the finest gold thrown out with the garbage,
Priceless jewels scattered all over,
jewels loose in the gutters.
2 And the people of Zion, once prized,
far surpassing their weight in gold,
Are now treated like cheap pottery,
like everyday pots and bowls mass-produced by a potter.
3 Even wild jackals nurture their babies,
give them their breasts to suckle.
But my people have turned cruel to their babies,
like an ostrich in the wilderness.
4 Babies have nothing to drink.
Their tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths.
Little children ask for bread
but no one gives them so much as a crust.
5 People used to the finest cuisine
forage for food in the streets.
People used to the latest in fashions
pick through the trash for something to wear.
6 The evil guilt of my dear people
was worse than the sin of Sodom—
The city was destroyed in a flash,
and no one around to help.
7 The splendid and sacred nobles
once glowed with health.
Their bodies were robust and ruddy,
their beards like carved stone.
8 But now they are smeared with soot,
unrecognizable in the street,
Their bones sticking out,
their skin dried out like old leather.
9 Better to have been killed in battle
than killed by starvation.
Better to have died of battle wounds
than to slowly starve to death.
10 Nice and kindly women
boiled their own children for supper.
This was the only food in town
when my dear people were broken.
11 God let all his anger loose, held nothing back.
He poured out his raging wrath.
He set a fire in Zion
that burned it to the ground.
12 The kings of the earth couldn’t believe it.
World rulers were in shock,
Watching old enemies march in big as you please,
right through Jerusalem’s gates.
13 Because of the sins of her prophets
and the evil of her priests,
Who exploited good and trusting people,
robbing them of their lives,
14 These prophets and priests blindly grope their way through the streets,
grimy and stained from their dirty lives,
Wasted by their wasted lives,
shuffling from fatigue, dressed in rags.
15 People yell at them, “Get out of here, dirty old men!
Get lost, don’t touch us, don’t infect us!”
They have to leave town. They wander off.
Nobody wants them to stay here.
Everyone knows, wherever they wander,
that they’ve been kicked out of their own hometown.
16 God himself scattered them.
No longer does he look out for them.
He has nothing to do with the priests;
he cares nothing for the elders.
17 We watched and watched,
wore our eyes out looking for help. And nothing.
We mounted our lookouts and looked
for the help that never showed up.
18 They tracked us down, those hunters.
It wasn’t safe to go out in the street.
Our end was near, our days numbered.
We were doomed.
19 They came after us faster than eagles in flight,
pressed us hard in the mountains, ambushed us in the desert.
20 Our king, our life’s breath, the anointed of God,
was caught in their traps—
Our king under whose protection
we always said we’d live.
21 Celebrate while you can, O Edom!
Live it up in Uz!
For it won’t be long before you drink this cup, too.
You’ll find out what it’s like to drink God’s wrath,
Get drunk on God’s wrath
and wake up with nothing, stripped naked.
22 And that’s it for you, Zion. The punishment’s complete.
You won’t have to go through this exile again.
But Edom, your time is coming:
He’ll punish your evil life, put all your sins on display.
Give Us a Fresh Start
5 1-22 “Remember, God, all we’ve been through.
Study our plight, the black mark we’ve made in history.
Our precious land has been given to outsiders,
our homes to strangers.
Orphans we are, not a father in sight,
and our mothers no better than widows.
We have to pay to drink our own water.
Even our firewood comes at a price.
We’re nothing but slaves, bullied and bowed,
worn out and without any rest.
We sold ourselves to Assyria and Egypt
just to get something to eat.
Our parents sinned and are no more,
and now we’re paying for the wrongs they did.
Slaves rule over us;
there’s no escape from their grip.
We risk our lives to gather food
in the bandit-infested desert.
Our skin has turned black as an oven,
dried out like old leather from the famine.
Our wives were raped in the streets in Zion,
and our virgins in the cities of Judah.
They hanged our princes by their hands,
dishonored our elders.
Strapping young men were put to women’s work,
mere boys forced to do men’s work.
The city gate is empty of wise elders.
Music from the young is heard no more.
All the joy is gone from our hearts.
Our dances have turned into dirges.
The crown of glory has toppled from our head.
Woe! Woe! Would that we’d never sinned!
Because of all this we’re heartsick;
we can’t see through the tears.
On Mount Zion, wrecked and ruined,
jackals pace and prowl.
And yet, God, you’re sovereign still,
your throne intact and eternal.
So why do you keep forgetting us?
Why dump us and leave us like this?
Bring us back to you, God—we’re ready to come back.
Give us a fresh start.
As it is, you’ve cruelly disowned us.
You’ve been so very angry with us.”
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson