Lam 5 | HCSB | STEP | Yahweh , remember what has happened to us. Look , and see our disgrace !

‏ Lamentations 5

Prayer for Restoration

1 ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh, remember what has happened to us.
Look, and see our disgrace! ^b
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our houses to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are widows.
4 We must pay for the water we drink;
our wood comes at a price.
5 We are closely pursued;
we are tired, and no one offers us rest.
6 We made a treaty with ^{▼▼Lit We gave the hand to} Egypt
and with Assyria, to get enough food. ^d
7 Our fathers sinned; they no longer exist,
but we bear their punishment.
8 Slaves rule over us; ^e
no one rescues us from their hands.
9 We secure our food at the risk of our lives
because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin is as hot ^{▼▼Or black; Hb obscure} as an oven ^g
from the ravages of hunger.
11 Women are raped in ^{▼▼Zion: Originally a term for the fortified section of Jerusalem and then, by extension, used for the temple and the city of Jerusalem both in the present time and in the future}Zion,
girls in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes are hung up by their hands;
elders are shown no respect. ⁱ
13 Young men labor at millstones; ^j
boys stumble under loads of wood.
14 The elders have left the city ^{▼▼gate(s): The center for community discussions, political meetings, and trying of court cases}gate,
the young men, their music. ^l
15 Joy has left our hearts; ^m
our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head. ⁿ
Woe to us, for we have sinned. ^o
17 Because of this, our heart is sick;
because of these, our eyes grow dim: ^p
18 because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate
and has jackals prowling in it. ^q
19 You, Lord, are enthroned forever;
Your throne endures from generation to generation. ^r
20 Why have You forgotten us forever, ^s
abandoned us for our entire lives?
21 Lord, restore us to Yourself, so we may return; ^t
renew our days as in former times,
22 unless You have completely rejected us
and are intensely angry with us.