1 R emember, O Jehovah, what hath befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.

O Lord, remember what has come upon us! Look down and see our reproach (our national disgrace)!

2 O ur inheritance hath been turned to strangers, Our houses to foreigners.

Our inheritance has fallen over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.

3 O rphans we have been -- without a father, our mothers as widows.

We have become orphans and fatherless; our mothers are like widows.

4 O ur water for money we have drunk, Our wood for a price doth come.

We have had to pay money to drink the water that belongs to us; our wood is sold to us.

5 F or our neck we have been pursued, We have laboured -- there hath been no rest for us.

Our pursuers are upon our necks; we are weary and are allowed no rest.

6 E gypt we have given a hand, Asshur, to be satisfied with bread.

We have given the hand to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians to get food to satisfy.

7 O ur fathers have sinned -- they are not, We their iniquities have borne.

Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we have borne their iniquities.

8 S ervants have ruled over us, A deliverer there is none from their hand.

Servants and slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us out of their hands.

9 W ith our lives we bring in our bread, Because of the sword of the wilderness.

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

10 O ur skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine.

Our skin glows and is parched as from an oven because of the burning heat of famine.

11 W ives in Zion they have humbled, Virgins -- in cities of Judah.

They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.

12 P rinces by their hand have been hanged, The faces of elders have not been honoured.

They hung princes by their hands; the persons of elders were not respected.

13 Y oung men to grind they have taken, And youths with wood have stumbled.

Young men carried millstones, and boys fell under wood.

14 T he aged from the gate have ceased, Young men from their song.

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

15 C eased hath the joy of our heart, Turned to mourning hath been our dancing.

Ceased is the joy of our hearts; our dancing has turned into mourning.

16 F allen hath the crown our head, Wo now to us, for we have sinned.

The crown has fallen from our head! Woe to us, for we have sinned!

17 F or this hath our heart been sick, For these have our eyes been dim.

Because of this our hearts are faint and sick; because of these things our eyes are dim and see darkly.

18 F or the mount of Zion -- that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it.

As for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, the jackals prowl over it!

19 T hou, O Jehovah, to the age remainest, Thy throne to generation and generation.

But You, O Lord, remain and reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to generations.

20 W hy for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days!

Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?

21 T urn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old.

Turn us to Yourself, O Lord, and we shall be turned and restored! Renew our days as of old!—

22 F or hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us -- exceedingly?

Or have You utterly rejected us? Or are You exceedingly angry with us ?