Lamentations 5
New King James Version

Prayer for Restoration

5 Remember,^(A)OLord, what has come upon us;
Look, and behold^(B)our reproach!
²^(C)Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens,
And our houses to foreigners.
³We have become orphans and waifs,
Our mothersarelike^(D)widows.

⁴We pay for the water we drink,
And our wood comes at a price.
⁵^(E)Theypursue at our^[a]heels;
We laborandhave no rest.
⁶^(F)We have given our hand^(G)tothe Egyptians
Andthe^(H)Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

⁷^(I)Our fathers sinnedand areno more,
But we bear their iniquities.
⁸Servants rule over us;
There isnone to deliverusfrom their hand.
⁹We get our breadat the riskof our lives,
Because of the sword in the wilderness.

¹⁰Our skin is hot as an oven,
Because of the fever of famine.
¹¹They^(J)ravished the women in Zion,
The maidens in the cities of Judah.
¹²Princes were hung up by their hands,
And elders were not respected.
¹³Young men^(K)ground at the millstones;
Boys staggered underloads ofwood.
¹⁴The elders have ceasedgathering atthe gate,
And the young men from their^(L)music.

¹⁵The joy of our heart has ceased;
Our dance has turned into^(M)mourning.
¹⁶^(N)The crown has fallenfromour head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned!
¹⁷Because of this our heart is faint;
^(O)Because of thesethingsour eyes grow dim;
¹⁸Because of Mount Zion which is^(P)desolate,
With foxes walking about on it.

¹⁹You, OLord,^(Q)remain forever;
^(R)Your throne from generation to generation.
²⁰^(S)Why do You forget us forever,
Andforsake us for so long a time?
²¹^(T)Turn us back to You, OLord, and we will be^[b]restored;
Renew our days as of old,
²²Unless You have utterly rejected us,
Andare very angry with us!