Prayer for Restoration

Yahweh, remember what has happened to us.
Look, and see our disgrace!(A)
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our houses to foreigners.
We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are widows.
We must pay for the water we drink;
our wood comes at a price.
We are closely pursued;
we are tired, and no one offers us rest.
We made a treaty with[a] Egypt
and with Assyria, to get enough food.(B)
Our fathers sinned; they no longer exist,
but we bear their punishment.
Slaves rule over us;(C)
no one rescues us from their hands.
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(D)
from the ravages of hunger.
11 Women are raped in Zion,
girls in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes are hung up by their hands;
elders are shown no respect.(E)
13 Young men labor at millstones;(F)
boys stumble under loads of wood.
14 The elders have left the city gate,
the young men, their music.(G)
15 Joy has left our hearts;(H)
our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head.(I)
Woe to us, for we have sinned.(J)
17 Because of this, our heart is sick;
because of these, our eyes grow dim:(K)
18 because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate
and has jackals prowling in it.(L)
19 You, Lord, are enthroned forever;
Your throne endures from generation to generation.(M)
20 Why have You forgotten us forever,(N)
abandoned us for our entire lives?
21 Lord, restore us to Yourself, so we may return;(O)
renew our days as in former times,
22 unless You have completely rejected us
and are intensely angry with us.

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 5:6 Lit We gave the hand to
  2. Lamentations 5:10 Or black; Hb obscure

Remember, O Jehovah, what is come upon us:
Behold, and see our reproach.
Our inheritance is turned unto strangers,
Our houses unto aliens.
We are orphans and fatherless;
Our mothers are as widows.
We have drunken our water for money;
Our wood [a]is sold unto us.
Our pursuers are upon our necks:
We are weary, and have no rest.
We have given the hand to the Egyptians,
And to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
Our fathers sinned, and are not;
And we have borne their iniquities.
Servants rule over us:
There is none to deliver us out of their hand.
We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
Because of the sword of the wilderness.
10 Our skin is [b]black like an oven,
Because of the burning heat of famine.
11 They ravished the women in Zion,
The virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes were hanged up by their hand:
The faces of elders were not honored.
13 The young men bare the mill;
And the children stumbled under the wood.
14 The elders have ceased from the gate,
The young men from their music.
15 The joy of our heart is ceased;
Our dance is turned into mourning.
16 The crown is fallen from our head:
Woe unto us! for we have sinned.
17 For this our heart is faint;
For these things our eyes are dim;
18 For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate:
The [c]foxes walk upon it.

19 Thou, O Jehovah, [d]abidest for ever;
Thy throne is from generation to generation.
20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever,
And forsake us so long time?
21 Turn thou us unto thee, O Jehovah, and we shall be turned;
Renew our days as of old.
22 [e]But thou hast utterly rejected us;
Thou art very wroth against us.

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 5:4 Hebrew cometh for price.
  2. Lamentations 5:10 Or, hot
  3. Lamentations 5:18 Or, jackals
  4. Lamentations 5:19 Or, sittest as King
  5. Lamentations 5:22 Or, Unless thou . . . and art etc.

Remember, O Jehovah, what hath befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.

Our inheritance hath been turned to strangers, Our houses to foreigners.

Orphans we have been -- without a father, our mothers [are] as widows.

Our water for money we have drunk, Our wood for a price doth come.

For our neck we have been pursued, We have laboured -- there hath been no rest for us.

[To] Egypt we have given a hand, [To] Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.

Our fathers have sinned -- they are not, We their iniquities have borne.

Servants have ruled over us, A deliverer there is none from their hand.

With our lives we bring in our bread, Because of the sword of the wilderness.

10 Our skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.

11 Wives in Zion they have humbled, Virgins -- in cities of Judah.

12 Princes by their hand have been hanged, The faces of elders have not been honoured.

13 Young men to grind they have taken, And youths with wood have stumbled.

14 The aged from the gate have ceased, Young men from their song.

15 Ceased hath the joy of our heart, Turned to mourning hath been our dancing.

16 Fallen hath the crown [from] our head, Wo [is] now to us, for we have sinned.

17 For this hath our heart been sick, For these have our eyes been dim.

18 For the mount of Zion -- that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.

19 Thou, O Jehovah, to the age remainest, Thy throne to generation and generation.

20 Why for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days!

21 Turn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.

22 For hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us -- exceedingly?

A Plea for Mercy

Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;
    behold, and see our disgrace!
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
    our homes to aliens.
We have become orphans, fatherless;
    our mothers are like widows.
We must pay for the water we drink,
    the wood we get must be bought.
With a yoke[a] on our necks we are hard driven;
    we are weary, we are given no rest.
We have given the hand to Egypt,
    and to Assyria, to get bread enough.
Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
    and we bear their iniquities.
Slaves rule over us;
    there is none to deliver us from their hand.
We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
    because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven
    with the burning heat of famine.
11 Women are ravished in Zion,
    virgins in the towns of Judah.
12 Princes are hung up by their hands;
    no respect is shown to the elders.
13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill;
    and boys stagger under loads of wood.
14 The old men have quit the city gate,
    the young men their music.
15 The joy of our hearts has ceased;
    our dancing has been turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head;
    woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 For this our heart has become sick,
    for these things our eyes have grown dim,
18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate;
    jackals prowl over it.

19 But thou, O Lord, dost reign for ever;
    thy throne endures to all generations.
20 Why dost thou forget us for ever,
    why dost thou so long forsake us?
21 Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored!
    Renew our days as of old!
22 Or hast thou utterly rejected us?
    Art thou exceedingly angry with us?

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 5:5 Symmachus: Heb lacks with a yoke