Lamentations 5

1 Remember [to recall, to mark], O LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], what [the circumstances, the events] has happened [come to be, existed] to us [come upon us]. Look [to regard carefully, to show favor] and see [to behold, to consider] our disgrace [reproach, shame, scorn]! word study 2 Our inheritance [heritage, property] has been turned over [completely reversed, overturned] to strangers [foreigners, aliens], our houses [dwelling places, homes] to foreigners [those who are not our countrymen, aliens]. word study 3 We have become [children without fathers, orphans] fatherless [without a father, as in a family with no patriarch] orphans [bereaved of a father, without paternal care]; our mothers [female parents, maternal figures] are [like, as if they were] widows [women whose husbands have died, left alone]. word study 4 We must buy [pay for, purchase] the water [a source of refreshment] we drink [to quench our thirst]; our wood [etz, a strong and firm object] comes [is sold] at a price [mehir, a payment or reward]. word study 5 We are closely pursued [pursued by our attackers, with our necks under persecution]; we are [exhausted, wearied from labor] weary and find [no rest, no settlement] no rest. word study 6 We submitted [given the hand, allied ourselves] to Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] and Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians] to get [be satisfied with, have plenty of] enough bread [food, especially grain] [to be filled with enough to survive]. word study 7 Our fathers [ancestors, forefathers] sinned [missed the mark, went wrong] and are no more [have passed away, are dead], but we [us, as their descendants] bear [carry, endure] their punishment [iniquities, moral evil]. word study 8 Slaves [servants, previously in bondage] rule over us; there is [exists none] no one to deliver [rescue, set free] us from their [powerful, controlling] hands [authority, grasp]. word study 9 We get our bread [at the peril of our lives, with the peril of our lives] at the risk [danger, hazard] of our lives [soul, living being] because of the sword [cutting instrument, knife] in the wilderness [desert, open field, the midbar]. word study 10 Our skin [like blackened leather, heated] is as hot [scorching, burning] as an oven [furnace, place of fire] with fever [intense heat, passion] from our hunger [famine, lack of nourishment]. word study 11 Women [wives, female persons] have been ravished [defiled, oppressed] in Zion [the city of Jerusalem, a mountain], virgins [maids, young unmarried women] in the cities [towns, settlements] of Judah [the region, the tribe]. word study 12 Princes [rulers, leaders] have been hung up [executed, put to death] by their hands [power, authority]; elders [old men, respected leaders] receive [are given, shown] no respect [no honor, no dignity, not honoured]. word study 13 Young men [chosen or select individuals, in their prime] toil at millstones [grinding, to crush grain into flour]; boys [from infancy to adolescence] stagger under loads [heavy burdens] of wood [a strong and firm object, like a tree or a wooden plank]. word study 14 The elders [old men, aged leaders] have left [ceased from, abandoned] the city gate [place of gathering, entrance to the city]; the young men [youth, chosen ones] have stopped [ceased from, given up] their music [songs, instrumental music, melodies]. word study 15 Joy [happiness, rejoicing] has left [ceased, come to an end] our hearts [the center of feelings, will, and intellect]; our dancing [a round dance, a circle of celebration] has turned [been overturned, completely changed] to mourning [a state of grief, lamentation]. word study 16 The crown has fallen [been taken away, removed] from our head [the topmost part of the body]. Woe [oh no, alas, sorrow] to us, for [because, since] we have sinned [missed the mark, gone wrong, incurred guilt]! word study 17 Because of this [on account of these things], our hearts [the seat of feelings, will, and intellect] are faint [sick, unwell, or weary]; because of these [these specific circumstances], our eyes [the source of sight and understanding] grow dim [become dark, are dimmed, or are weakened]— word study 18 because of Mount [the mountain of Jerusalem] Zion [the mountain in Jerusalem, another name for the city], which lies [is left, has been made] desolate [destroyed, devastated, a place of emptiness], patrolled [walked upon, roamed] by [small to medium-sized] foxes [jackals, wild mammals]. word study 19 You, O LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], reign [remain, abide, sit as King] forever [for all eternity, always]; Your throne [seat of power] endures [remains, is established] from generation [a period of time, a group of people] to generation [successive generations, from one generation to the next]. word study 20 Why [for what reason, to what end] have You [completely and utterly] forgotten [to mislay, be oblivious to] us [Your people, Your chosen ones] forever [for perpetuity, endlessly]? Why [how long, to what extent] have You forsaken [abandoned, loosened Your grip on] us for so long [a lengthy period, a long time]? word study 21 Restore [turn, bring back] us to Yourself [toward You, to Your presence], O LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], so we may return [be turned, come back]; renew [rebuild, make new] our days [time, periods of life] as of old [in the past, from the beginning], word study 22 unless You have [completely] utterly rejected [spurned, cast off] us and remain [very, exceedingly] angry [furious, wroth] with us [upon us, against us] beyond [till, as far as] measure [much, very]. word study