1 R emember, O Lord, what has come upon us; Look, and behold our reproach!

2 O ur inheritance has been turned over to aliens, And our houses to foreigners.

3 W e have become orphans and waifs, Our mothers are like widows.

4 W e pay for the water we drink, And our wood comes at a price.

5 T hey pursue at our heels; We labor and have no rest.

6 W e have given our hand to the Egyptians And the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

7 O ur fathers sinned and are no more, But we bear their iniquities.

8 S ervants rule over us; There is none to deliver us from their hand.

9 W e get our bread at the risk of our lives, Because of the sword in the wilderness.

10 O ur skin is hot as an oven, Because of the fever of famine.

11 T hey ravished the women in Zion, The maidens in the cities of Judah.

12 P rinces were hung up by their hands, And elders were not respected.

13 Y oung men ground at the millstones; Boys staggered under loads of wood.

14 T he elders have ceased gathering at the gate, And the young men from their music.

15 T he joy of our heart has ceased; Our dance has turned into mourning.

16 T he crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!

17 B ecause of this our heart is faint; Because of these things our eyes grow dim;

18 B ecause of Mount Zion which is desolate, With foxes walking about on it.

19 Y ou, O Lord, remain forever; Your throne from generation to generation.

20 W hy do You forget us forever, And forsake us for so long a time?

21 T urn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old,

22 U nless You have utterly rejected us, And are very angry with us!