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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.

זְכֹ֤ר יְהוָה֙ מֶֽה־הָ֣יָה לָ֔נוּ ׳הַבֵּיט׳ ״הַבִּ֖יטָה״ וּרְאֵ֥ה אֶת־חֶרְפָּתֵֽנוּ׃

נַחֲלָתֵ֙נוּ֙ נֶֽהֶפְכָ֣ה לְזָרִ֔ים בָּתֵּ֖ינוּ לְנָכְרִֽים׃

יְתוֹמִ֤ים הָיִ֙ינוּ֙ ׳אֵין׳ ״וְאֵ֣ין״ אָ֔ב אִמֹּתֵ֖ינוּ כְּאַלְמָנֽוֹת׃

מֵימֵ֙ינוּ֙ בְּכֶ֣סֶף שָׁתִ֔ינוּ עֵצֵ֖ינוּ בִּמְחִ֥יר יָבֹֽאוּ׃

עַ֤ל צַוָּארֵ֙נוּ֙ נִרְדָּ֔פְנוּ יָגַ֖עְנוּ ׳לֹא׳ ״וְלֹ֥א״ הֽוּנַֽח־לָֽנוּ׃

מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ נָתַ֣נּוּ יָ֔ד אַשּׁ֖וּר לִשְׂבֹּ֥עַֽ לָֽחֶם׃

אֲבֹתֵ֤ינוּ חָֽטְאוּ֙ ׳אֵינָם׳ ״וְאֵינָ֔ם״ ׳אֲנַחְנוּ׳ ״וַאֲנַ֖חְנוּ״ עֲוֺנֹתֵיהֶ֥ם סָבָֽלְנוּ׃

עֲבָדִים֙ מָ֣שְׁלוּ בָ֔נוּ פֹּרֵ֖ק אֵ֥ין מִיָּדָֽם׃

בְּנַפְשֵׁ֙נוּ֙ נָבִ֣יא לַחְמֵ֔נוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י חֶ֥רֶב הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃

10 עוֹרֵ֙נוּ֙ כְּתַנּ֣וּר נִכְמָ֔רוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת רָעָֽב׃

11 נָשִׁים֙ בְּצִיּ֣וֹן עִנּ֔וּ בְּתֻלֹ֖ת בְּעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃

12 שָׂרִים֙ בְּיָדָ֣ם נִתְל֔וּ פְּנֵ֥י זְקֵנִ֖ים לֹ֥א נֶהְדָּֽרוּ׃

13 בַּחוּרִים֙ טְח֣וֹן נָשָׂ֔אוּ וּנְעָרִ֖ים בָּעֵ֥ץ כָּשָֽׁלוּ׃

14 זְקֵנִים֙ מִשַּׁ֣עַר שָׁבָ֔תוּ בַּחוּרִ֖ים מִנְּגִינָתָֽם׃

15 שָׁבַת֙ מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ לִבֵּ֔נוּ נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְאֵ֖בֶל מְחֹלֵֽנוּ׃

16 נָֽפְלָה֙ עֲטֶ֣רֶת רֹאשֵׁ֔נוּ אֽוֹי־נָ֥א לָ֖נוּ כִּ֥י חָטָֽאנוּ׃

17 עַל־זֶ֗ה הָיָ֤ה דָוֶה֙ לִבֵּ֔נוּ עַל־אֵ֖לֶּה חָשְׁכ֥וּ עֵינֵֽינוּ׃

18 עַ֤ל הַר־צִיּוֹן֙ שֶׁשָּׁמֵ֔ם שׁוּעָלִ֖ים הִלְּכוּ־בֽוֹ׃ פ

19 אַתָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לְעוֹלָ֣ם תֵּשֵׁ֔ב כִּסְאֲךָ֖ לְדֹ֥ר וָדֽוֹר׃

20 לָ֤מָּה לָנֶ֙צַח֙ תִּשְׁכָּחֵ֔נוּ תַּֽעַזְבֵ֖נוּ לְאֹ֥רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃

21 הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהוָ֤ה׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ ׳וְנָשׁוּב׳ ״וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה״ חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃

22 כִּ֚י אִם־מָאֹ֣ס מְאַסְתָּ֔נוּ קָצַ֥פְתָּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ עַד־מְאֹֽד׃

A Prayer for Mercy

Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;
Look, and see our (A)reproach!
Our inheritance has been turned over to (B)strangers,
Our (C)houses to aliens.
We have become orphans (D)without a father,
Our mothers are like widows.
[a]We have to pay for our drinking (E)water,
Our wood comes to us at a price.
[b]Our pursuers are at our necks;
We are worn out, there is (F)no rest for us.
We have [c]submitted to (G)Egypt and Assyria [d]to get enough bread.
Our (H)fathers sinned, and are no more;
It is we who have borne their iniquities.
(I)Slaves rule over us;
There is (J)no one to deliver us from their hand.
We get our bread [e]at the (K)risk of our lives
[f]Because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin has become as (L)hot as an oven,
Because of [g]the burning heat of famine.
11 They ravished the (M)women in Zion,
The virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes were hung by their hands;
[h](N)Elders were not respected.
13 Young men [i](O)worked at the grinding mill,
And youths (P)stumbled under loads of wood.
14 Elders [j]are gone from the gate,
Young men from their (Q)music.
15 The joy of our hearts has (R)ceased;
Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
16 The (S)crown has fallen from our head;
(T)Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our (U)heart is faint,
Because of these things our (V)eyes are dim;
18 Because of (W)Mount Zion which lies desolate,
(X)Foxes prowl in it.

19 (Y)You, O Lord, [k]rule forever;
Your (Z)throne is from generation to generation.
20 Why do You (AA)forget us forever?
Why do You forsake us [l]so long?
21 (AB)Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored;
Renew (AC)our days as of old,
22 Unless (AD)You have utterly rejected us
And are exceedingly (AE)angry with us.

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 5:4 Lit We drink our water for silver
  2. Lamentations 5:5 Lit We have been pursued upon
  3. Lamentations 5:6 Lit given the hand to
  4. Lamentations 5:6 Lit to be satisfied with
  5. Lamentations 5:9 Lit with our soul
  6. Lamentations 5:9 Or In the face of
  7. Lamentations 5:10 Or the ravages of hunger
  8. Lamentations 5:12 Lit The faces of elders
  9. Lamentations 5:13 Lit carry
  10. Lamentations 5:14 Lit have ceased
  11. Lamentations 5:19 Lit sit
  12. Lamentations 5:20 Lit to length of days