Lamentations 5

1

זְכֹ֤ר יְהוָה֙ מֶֽה־הָ֣יָה לָ֔נוּ הביט1 וּרְאֵ֥ה אֶת־חֶרְפָּתֵֽנוּ׃

Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us; behold, and see our reproach.

2

נַחֲלָתֵ֨נוּ֙ נֶֽהֶפְכָ֣ה לְזָרִ֔ים בָּתֵּ֖ינוּ לְנָכְרִֽים׃

Our inheritance is turned unto strangers, our houses unto aliens.

3

יְתוֹמִ֤ים הָיִ֨ינוּ֙ אין1 אָ֔ב אִמֹּתֵ֖ינוּ כְּאַלְמָנֽוֹת׃

We are become orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.

4

מֵימֵ֨ינוּ֙ בְּכֶ֣סֶף שָׁתִ֔ינוּ עֵצֵ֖ינוּ בִּמְחִ֥יר יָבֹֽאוּ׃

We have drunk our water for money; our wood cometh to us for price.

5

עַ֤ל צַוָּארֵ֨נוּ֙ נִרְדָּ֔פְנוּ יָגַ֖עְנוּ לא1 הֽוּנַ֖ח234 לָֽנוּ׃

To our very necks we are pursued; we labour, and have no rest.

6

מִצְרַ֨יִם֙ נָתַ֣נּוּ יָ֔ד אַשּׁ֖וּר לִשְׂבֹּ֥עַֽ לָֽחֶם׃

We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to have bread enough;

7

אֲבֹתֵ֤ינוּ חָֽטְאוּ֙ אינם1 אנחנו2 עֲוֺנֹתֵיהֶ֥ם סָבָֽלְנוּ׃

Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

8

עֲבָדִים֙ מָ֣שְׁלוּ בָ֔נוּ פֹּרֵ֖ק אֵ֥ין מִיָּדָֽם׃

Servants rule over us; there is none to deliver us out of their hand.

9

בְּנַפְשֵׁ֨נוּ֙ נָבִ֣יא לַחְמֵ֔נוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י חֶ֥רֶב הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃

We get our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.

10

עוֹרֵ֨נוּ֙ כְּתַנּ֣וּר נִכְמָ֔רוּ מִפְּנֵ֖י זַלְעֲפ֥וֹת רָעָֽב׃

Our skin is hot like an oven because of the burning heat of famine.

11

נָשִׁים֙ בְּצִיּ֣וֹן עִנּ֔וּ בְּתֻלֹ֖ת בְּעָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃

They have ravished the women in Zion, the maidens in the cities of Judah.

12

שָׂרִים֙ בְּיָדָ֣ם נִתְל֔וּ פְּנֵ֥י זְקֵנִ֖ים לֹ֥א נֶהְדָּֽרוּ׃

Princes are hanged up by their hand; the faces of elders are not honoured.

13

בַּחוּרִים֙ טְח֣וֹן נָשָׂ֔אוּ וּנְעָרִ֖ים בָּעֵ֥ץ כָּשָֽׁלוּ׃

The young men have borne the mill, and the children have stumbled under the wood.

14

זְקֵנִים֙ מִשַּׁ֣עַר שָׁבָ֔תוּ בַּחוּרִ֖ים מִנְּגִינָתָֽם׃

The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.

15

שָׁבַת֙ מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ לִבֵּ֔נוּ נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְאֵ֖בֶל מְחֹלֵֽנוּ׃

The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.

16

נָֽפְלָה֙ עֲטֶ֣רֶת רֹאשֵׁ֔נוּ אֽוֹי־נָ֥א לָ֖נוּ כִּ֥י חָטָֽאנוּ׃

The crown is fallen from our head; woe unto us! for we have sinned.

17

עַל־זֶ֗ה הָיָ֤ה דָוֶה֙ לִבֵּ֔נוּ עַל־אֵ֖לֶּה חָשְׁכ֥וּ עֵינֵֽינוּ׃

For this our heart is faint, for these things our eyes are dim;

18

עַ֤ל הַר־צִיּוֹן֙ שֶׁשָּׁמֵ֔ם שׁוּעָלִ֖ים הִלְּכוּ־בֽוֹ׃ פ

For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

19

אַתָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ לְעוֹלָ֣ם תֵּשֵׁ֔ב כִּסְאֲךָ֖ לְדֹ֥ר וָדֽוֹר׃

Thou, O LORD, art enthroned for ever, Thy throne is from generation to generation.

20

לָ֤מָּה לָנֶ֨צַח֙ תִּשְׁכָּחֵ֔נוּ תַּֽעַזְבֵ֖נוּ לְאֹ֥רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃

Wherefore dost Thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?

21

הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אֵלֶ֨יךָ֙ ונשוב1 חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃

Turn Thou us unto Thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

22

כִּ֚י אִם־מָאֹ֣ס מְאַסְתָּ֔נוּ קָצַ֥פְתָּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ עַד־מְאֹֽד׃

Thou canst not have utterly rejected us, and be exceeding wroth against us!

Footnotes

  1. ^ qere: הַבִּ֖יטָה
  2. ^ qere: וְאֵ֣ין
  3. ^ qere: וְלֹ֥א
  4. ^ note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.
  5. ^ note: We read one or more accents in L differently than BHS. Often this notation indicates a typographical error in BHS.
  6. ^ note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.
  7. ^ qere: וְאֵינָ֔ם
  8. ^ qere: וַאֲנַ֖חְנוּ
  9. ^ qere: וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה