Lamentations 5

Jewish exiles ask God to forgive them

LORD, don’t forget us

1LORD, don’t forget what happened to us.
Look at us and see how disgraced we are now.
2Foreigners took the land we inherited.
Strangers live in our homes.
3We’ve become as helpless as orphans. [1]
Our mothers are no better than widows.
4They make us pay for what is free to them.
They charge us for water and wood we collect.
5They work us like animals,
oxen wearing yokes.
We’re exhausted,
But they won’t give us a break.
6Earlier, we made deals with Egypt and Assyria,
To get enough food for our people.
7Our ancestors sinned and died,
Leaving us to suffer the consequences.
They did the sinning,
We do the suffering.
8Slaves now rule us.
No one’s coming to our rescue.
9We risk our lives when we hunt for food.
Armed enemies hunt those same fields.
10Our skin is hot as an oven
Burning from hunger. [2]

Invaders raped Jewish women

11Invaders raped Jerusalem’s women
And virgins in towns throughout Judah.
12They hang our princes by their hands
And refuse to show elders the slightest respect.
13They force young men to push the grist stone, [3]
Grinding the grain to flour,
While little boys stagger,
hauling heavy stacks of firewood.
14Our elders no longer meet at the city gate. [4]
Young men have given up music.
15We used to be happy. Not anymore.
We used to dance. Now we grieve.
16We used to rule our own lives,
But the crown fell off our head.
We sinned, with tragic results.
17Because of all this, we’re depressed.
We see no way out, no reason for hope. [5]
18Mount Zion is desolate now,
Home to jackals on the prowl.
19But you, LORD, are always in charge,
Through all generations the same.
20So, why have you forgotten us?
Why have you abandoned us for so long?
21Take us back and welcome us home.
Make our relationship like it used to be.
22Are we dead to you?
Are you so angry with us
You refuse to take us back?

Footnotes

Intro Notes to Lamentations

15:3

Orphans, widows, and immigrants were some of the most vulnerable people in the ancient world. There was no security net to save them. Many writers in the Bible urge God’s people to help these folks and not exploit them (Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 14:29; 27:19; Psalm 10:14).

25:10

This is a vexing verse. Scholars take their educated guesses in several directions. Some say the skin is black and hot from famine or the skin glows like an oven and has a fever. But the point seems to be that the exiled Jews don’t have enough to eat and they’re suffering from exposure to the sun.

35:13

Animals or flowing water usually powered a grist mill, pushing a heavy stone over kernels, crushing the grain into flour for baking bread.

45:14

City gates were popular meeting places. This is where venders would sell their products, city leaders would hold trials, and men and women would catch up on news and gossip.

55:17

Literally, “our eyes have grown dim.” We have to guess what that means. The Hebrew word for “dim” is hasak. It can mean: despair, terror, gloom, darkness, and lack of clarity.