5
A Prayer of the Prophet
1 “Remember, O Lord, what has happened to us.
Take a look at our disgrace!
2 “The land we inherited has been turned over to strangers.
Our homes have been turned over to foreigners.
3 We are orphans without a father.
Our mothers are like widows.
4 We have to pay to drink our own water.
We have to pay to chop our own wood.
5 ⌞Our enemies⌟ are breathing down our necks.
We are worn out ⌞and⌟ not permitted to rest.
6 We had to beg Egypt and Assyria for food.
7 Our ancestors sinned.
Now they are gone,
⌞but⌟ we have to take the punishment for their wickedness.
8 Slaves rule us.
There is no one to rescue us from them.
9 To get our food, we have to risk our lives
in the heat of the desert.
10 Our skin is as hot as an oven from the burning heat of starvation.
11 Women in Zion are raped, so are the girls in the cities of Judah.
12 ⌞Our⌟ leaders are hung by their hands.
⌞Our⌟ older leaders are shown no respect.
13 ⌞Our⌟ young men work at the mill,
and ⌞our⌟ boys stagger under loads of wood.
14 ⌞Our⌟ older leaders have stopped meeting at the city gate,
and ⌞our⌟ young men no longer play their music.
15 There is no joy left in our hearts.
Our dancing has turned into mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
Because we have sinned, it has been disastrous for us.
17 This is why we feel sick.
This is why our eyes see less and less.
18 Foxes roam around on Mount Zion, which lies in ruins.
19 “But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever,
and your reign continues throughout every generation.
20 Why have you completely forgotten us?
Why have you abandoned us for such a long time?
21 O Lord, bring us back to you, and we’ll come back.
Give us back the life we had long ago,
22 unless you have completely rejected us
⌞and⌟ are very angry with us.”