Shared Word Translation
Lamentations 5
Remember, O LORD
Remember, O LORD,
what has happened to us.
Look and see
our reproach.
Our inheritance
has been turned over to strangers,
our houses
to foreigners.
We have become orphans,
with no father;
our mothers
are like widows.
We drink our own water
for silver;
our wood comes to us
at a price.
We are pursued at our necks;
we are weary,
and no rest
is given to us.
We Bear the Guilt of Those Before Us
We gave the hand to Egypt
and to Assyria
to be satisfied
with bread.
Our ancestors sinned;
they are no more,
and we bear
their guilt.
Servants rule over us;
there is no one
to tear us away
from their hand.
At the risk of our lives
we bring in our bread
because of the sword
in the wilderness.
Our skin burns like an oven
because of the scorching heat
of famine.
Joy Has Ceased
Women in Zion were violated,
young women
in the cities of Judah.
Princes were hung up
by their hands;
the faces of elders
were not honored.
Young men carry millstones,
and boys stumble
under loads of wood.
Elders have ceased
from the gate,
and young men
from their music.
The joy of our heart has ceased;
our dancing
has turned to mourning.
The crown has fallen
from our head.
Woe to us,
for we have sinned!
Zion Is Desolate
Because of this
our heart is faint;
because of these things
our eyes grow dim:
because Mount Zion is desolate;
foxes wander
over it.
Turn Us Back to You
But you, O LORD,
remain forever;
your throne
is from generation to generation.
Why do you forget us forever?
Why do you abandon us
for so many days?
Turn us back to you, O LORD,
and we will return.
Renew our days
as of old—
unless you have utterly rejected us
and are exceedingly angry
with us.