Lamentations

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Chapter 5

1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: This prayer as is thought, was made when some of the people were carried away captive, others such as the poorest remained, and some went into Egypt and other places for comfort, though it seems that the prophet foreseeing their miseries to come, thus prayed. consider, and behold our reproach.

2 Our inheritance is turned to the strangers, our houses to the aliants.

3 We are fatherles, euen without father, and our mothers are as widowes.

4 We have drank our Meaning their extreme servitude and bondage. water for money; our wood is sold to us.

5 Our neckes are vnder persecution: we are wearie, and haue no rest.

6 We have given the We are joined in league and amity with them, or have submitted ourselves to them. hand [to] the Egyptians, [and to] the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

7 Our fathers have sinned, [and are] not; and we have borne As our fathers have been punished for their sins: so we that are guilty of the same sins are punished. their iniquities.

8 Seruants haue ruled ouer vs, none would deliuer vs out of their hands.

9 We procured our bread with [the peril of] our lives because of the sword Because of the enemy that came from the wilderness and would not suffer us to go and seek our necessary food. of the wilderness.

10 Our skinne was blacke like as an ouen because of the terrible famine.

11 They defiled the women in Zion, and the maydes in the cities of Iudah.

12 Princes were hung up by That is, by the enemies hand. their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.

13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under Their slavery was so great, that they were not able to abide it. the wood.

14 The elders have ceased from the There were no more laws nor form of commonwealth. gate, the young men from their music.

15 The ioy of our heart is gone, our daunce is turned into mourning.

16 The crowne of our head is fallen: wo nowe vnto vs, that we haue sinned.

17 For this our heart is faint; for these [things] our With weeping. eyes are dim.

18 Because of the mountaine of Zion which is desolate: the foxes runne vpon it.

19 Thou, O LORD, remainest for And therefore your covenant and mercies can never fail. ever; thy throne from generation to generation.

20 Wherefore doest thou forget vs for euer, and forsake vs so long time?

21 By which is declared that it is not in man's power to turn to God, but is only his work to convert us, and thus God works in us before we can turn to him, (Jer_31:18). Turn thou us to thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

22 But thou hast vtterly reiected vs: thou art exceedingly angry against vs.

Presented by The Common Man's Prospective. Copyright© 1999-2012 Ernest C. Marsh