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.”