1 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.

2 Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.

3 We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.

4 We have drunken our water for money; our wood is sold unto us.

5 Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest.

6 We have given the 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 their iniquities.

8 Servants have ruled over us: there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.

9 We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness.

10 Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

11 They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah.

12 Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.

13 They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.

14 The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their musick.

15 The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.

16 The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!

17 For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.

18 Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

19 Thou, O LORD, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation.

20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?

21 Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

22 But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.

1 Remember, O Lord, what is come vpon vs: consider and beholde our reproch.

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

3 We are orphanes and fatherlesse, our mothers are as widowes.

4 We haue drunken our water for money, our wood is sold vnto vs.

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

6 We haue giuen the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

7 Our fathers haue sinned and are not, and wee haue borne their iniquities.

8 Seruants haue ruled ouer vs: there is none that doeth deliuer vs out of their hand.

9 We gate our bread with the perill of our liues, because of the sword of the wildernesse.

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

11 They rauished the women in Zion, and the maides in the cities of Iudah.

12 Princes are hanged vp by their hand: the faces of Elders were not honoured.

13 They tooke the young men to grinde, and the children fell vnder the wood.

14 The Elders haue ceased from the gate, the young men from their musicke.

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

16 The crowne is fallen from our head: Woe vnto vs, that wee haue sinned.

17 For this our heart is faint, for these things our eyes are dimme.

18 Because of the mountaine of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walke vpon it.

19 Thou, O Lord, remainest for euer: thy throne from generation to generation.

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

21 Turne thou vs vnto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned: renew our dayes as of old.

22 But thou hast vtterly reiected vs: thou art very wroth against vs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

V == Deut 28:48 ; Jer 28:14

VI == Jer 50:15

VII == Gen 42:13 ; Jer 31:29 ;Ezek 18:2 ; Zech 1:5

VIII == Neh 5:15

 

 

 

X == Job 30:30 ; Ps 119:83 ; Lam 4:8

XI == Isa 13:16 ; Zech 14:2

 

XII == Isa 47:6 ; Lam 4:16

XIII == Judg 16:21

 

 

 

 

 

XVI == Job 19:9 ; Ps 89:39

XVII == Ps 6:7 ; Lam 1:22 ; 2:11

 

 

XIX == Ps 9:7

 

 

 

 

XXI == Ps 80:3 , 7 , 19 ; Jer 31:18

1 Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us, look, and see our disgrace:

2 Our inherited lands have been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners.

3 We have become orphans, fatherless; widowed are our mothers.

4 The water we drink we must buy, for our own wood we must pay.

5 On our necks is the yoke of those who drive us; we are worn out, but allowed no rest.

6 To Egypt we submitted, and to Assyria, to fill our need of bread.

7 Our fathers, who sinned, are no more; but we bear their guilt.

8 Slaves rule over us; there is no one to rescue us from their hands.

9 At the peril of our lives we bring in our sustenance, in the face of the desert heat;

10 Our skin is shriveled up, as though by a furnace, with the searing blasts of famine.

11 The wives in Zion were ravished by the enemy, the maidens in the cities of Judah;

12 Princes were gibbeted by them, elders shown no respect.

13 The youths carry the millstones, boys stagger under their loads of wood;

14 The old men have abandoned the gate, the young men their music.

15 The joy of our hearts has ceased, our dance has turned into mourning;

16 The garlands have fallen from our heads: woe to us, for we have sinned!

17 Over this our hearts are sick, at this our eyes grow dim:

18 That Mount Zion should be desolate, with jackals roaming there!

19 You, O LORD, are enthroned forever; your throne stands from age to age.

20 Why, then, should you forget us, abandon us so long a time?

21 Lead us back to you, O LORD, that we may be restored: give us anew such days as we had of old.

22 For now you have indeed rejected us, and in full measure turned your wrath against us.

v 1. Chapters 1-3 ended with a prayer but there was none in chapter 4. This is more like a prayer chapter to end chapter 4.

v 2-5. Judah was held by foreigners, fathers were helpless as orphans, and were so decimated by Babylon that they even had to buy water and fuel to cook.

 

 

v 6-8. Judah had made alliances with Egypt and Assyria for help, and were now being justly punished for it.

 

v 9,10. As they searched for food their lives were at risk to roving bands, and as in 4:8, their skin is wrinkled and feverish from famine.

 

 

v 11-18. Babylonians raped, tortured, made slaves, advisors or judges were gone as was any form of music or joy. Judah’s glory is gone and the land desolate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 19-22. In the midst of their temporal plight, they call out to the everlasting God. They acknowledge God has been right in rejecting them for their sin, but He also had promised restoration after confession of sin, and they desire to be restored as of old.