Lamentations 5

The poet pleads with the LORD to remember what has happened — their inheritance given to strangers, their people made orphans, servants ruling over them, and women violated in Zion. The joy of their hearts has ceased and their dancing has turned to mourning. Yet he affirms that the LORD reigns forever and pleads, "Turn us to Yourself, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.	Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us. Look and see our disgrace.
2	Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.	Our inheritance has been given over to strangers, our homes to foreigners.
3	We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.	We have become orphans without a father. Our mothers are like widows.
4	We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.	We have had to buy our own water to drink. Our own wood costs us money.
5	Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest.	We are driven hard with a yoke on our necks. We labor with no rest.
6	We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.	We stretched out our hands to Egypt and Assyria to get enough bread to eat.
7	Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.	Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities.
8	Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.	Servants rule over us. There is no one to rescue us from their hand.
9	We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.	We risk our lives to get our bread because of the sword in the desert.
10	Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.	Our skin has become as hot as an oven because of the burning heat of famine.
11	They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.	Women were violated in Zion, young women in the cities of Judah.
12	Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.	Princes were hung up by their hands. The faces of the elders were shown no honor.
13	They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.	Young men were put to work at the grinding stone. Boys staggered under loads of wood.
14	The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick.	The elders no longer sit at the city gate. The young men no longer play music.
15	The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.	The joy of our hearts has ended. Our dancing has turned to mourning.
16	The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!	The crown has fallen from our head. How terrible it is for us, for we have sinned!
17	For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.	Because of this our hearts are sick. Because of these things our eyes have grown dim.
18	Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.	Mount Zion lies desolate. Foxes prowl over it.
19	Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.	But You, O LORD, reign forever. Your throne endures from generation to generation.
20	Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?	Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?
21	Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.	Turn us to Yourself, O LORD, and we shall be turned. Renew our days as of old.
22	But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.	Unless You have completely rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.