Lamentations 5
New King James Version
Prayer for Restoration
5 Remember, (A)O Lord, what has come upon us;
Look, and behold (B)our reproach!
2 (C)Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens,
And our houses to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans and waifs,
Our mothers are like (D)widows.
4 We pay for the water we drink,
And our wood comes at a price.
5 (E)They pursue at our [a]heels;
We labor and have no rest.
6 (F)We have given our hand (G)to the Egyptians
And the (H)Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
7 (I)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 (J)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 (K)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 (L)music.
15 The joy of our heart has ceased;
Our dance has turned into (M)mourning.
16 (N)The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our heart is faint;
(O)Because of these things our eyes grow dim;
18 Because of Mount Zion which is (P)desolate,
With foxes walking about on it.
19 You, O Lord, (Q)remain forever;
(R)Your throne from generation to generation.
20 (S)Why do You forget us forever,
And forsake us for so long a time?
21 (T)Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be [b]restored;
Renew our days as of old,
22 Unless You have utterly rejected us,
And are very angry with us!
Footnotes
- Lamentations 5:5 Lit. necks
- Lamentations 5:21 returned
Lamentations 5
21st Century King James Version
5 Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us; consider, and behold our reproach.
2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.
3 We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.
4 We have paid money for water we drink; our wood is sold unto us.
5 Our necks are under persecution; we labor and have no rest.
6 We have given the hand to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians to be provided with bread.
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are no more; and we have borne their iniquities.
8 Servants have ruled over us; there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.
9 We got our bread with the peril of our lives, because of the sword of the wilderness.
10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.
11 They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes are hanged up by their hand; the faces of elders were not honored.
13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell 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 that we have sinned!
17 For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.
18 Because of the mountain of Zion which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.
19 Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever, Thy throne from generation to generation.
20 Why dost Thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long a time?
21 Turn Thou us unto Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned! Renew our days as of old!—
22 But Thou hast utterly rejected us; Thou art very wroth against us.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.