5:1 Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us. Look at us, and see our disgrace. |
5:2 Our property is in the hands of strangers; foreigners are living in our homes. |
5:3 Our fathers have been killed by the enemy, and now our mothers are widows. |
5:4 We must pay for the water we drink; we must buy the wood we need for fuel. |
5:5 Driven hard like donkeys or camels, we are tired, but are allowed no rest. |
5:6 To get food enough to stay alive, we went begging to Egypt and Assyria. |
5:7 Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone, and we are suffering for their sins. |
5:8 Our rulers are no better than slaves, and no one can save us from their power. |
5:9 Murderers roam through the countryside; we risk our lives when we look for food. |
5:10 Hunger has made us burn with fever until our skin is as hot as an oven. |
5:11 Our wives have been raped on Mount Zion itself; in every Judean village our daughters have been forced to submit. |
5:12 Our leaders have been taken and hanged; our elders are shown no respect. |
5:13 Our young men are forced to grind grain like slaves; boys go staggering under heavy loads of wood. |
5:14 The old people no longer sit at the city gate, and the young people no longer make music. |
5:15 Happiness has gone out of our lives; grief has taken the place of our dances. |
5:16 Nothing is left of all we were proud of. We sinned, and now we are doomed. |
5:17 We are sick at our very hearts and can hardly see through our tears, |
5:18 because Mount Zion lies lonely and deserted, and wild jackals prowl through its ruins. |
5:19 But you, O LORD, are king forever and will rule to the end of time. |
5:20 Why have you abandoned us so long? Will you ever remember us again? |
5:21 Bring us back to you, LORD! Bring us back! Restore our ancient glory. |
5:22 Or have you rejected us forever? Is there no limit to your anger? |