Lamentations 5
Christian Standard Bible
Prayer for Restoration
5 Lord, remember what has happened to us.
Look, and see our disgrace!(A)
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our houses to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are widows.
4 We must pay for the water we drink;
our wood comes at a price.
5 We are closely pursued;
we are tired, and no one offers us rest.
6 We made a treaty with[a] Egypt
and with Assyria, to get enough food.(B)
7 Our ancestors sinned; they no longer exist,
but we bear their punishment.(C)
8 Slaves rule over us;(D)
no one rescues us from them.
9 We secure our food at the risk of our lives
because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin is as hot[b] as an oven(E)
from the ravages of hunger.
11 Women have been raped in Zion,
virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes have been hung up by their hands;
elders are shown no respect.(F)
13 Young men labor at millstones;(G)
boys stumble under loads of wood.
14 The elders have left the city gate,
the young men, their music.(H)
15 Joy has left our hearts;(I)
our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head.(J)
Woe to us, for we have sinned.(K)
17 Because of this, our heart is sick;
because of these, our eyes grow dim:(L)
18 because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate
and has jackals prowling in it.(M)
19 You, Lord, are enthroned forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation.(N)
20 Why do you continually forget us,(O)
abandon us for our entire lives?
21 Lord, bring us back to yourself, so we may return;(P)
renew our days as in former times,
22 unless you have completely rejected us
and are intensely angry with us.
Lamentations 5
GOD’S WORD Translation
A Prayer of the Prophet
5 “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.
3 We are orphans without a father.
Our mothers are like widows.
4 We 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.
6 We had to beg Egypt and Assyria for food.[a]
7 Our ancestors sinned.
Now they are gone,
⌞but⌟ we have to take the punishment for their wickedness.
8 Slaves rule us.
There is no one to rescue us from them.
9 To get our food, we have to risk our lives
in the heat of the desert.
10 Our skin is as hot as an oven from the burning heat of starvation.
11 Women 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.
15 There is no joy left in our hearts.
Our dancing has turned into mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
Because we have sinned, it has been disastrous for us.
17 This is why we feel sick.
This is why our eyes see less and less.
18 Foxes roam around on Mount Zion, which lies in ruins.
19 “But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever,
and your reign continues throughout every generation.
20 Why have you completely forgotten us?
Why have you abandoned us for such a long time?
21 O Lord, bring us back to you, and we’ll come back.
Give us back the life we had long ago,
22 unless you have completely rejected us
⌞and⌟ are very angry with us.”
Footnotes
- 5:6 Or “We made a pledge to Egypt and Assyria in order to get enough food.”
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