1 זְכֹר יְהוָה מֶה־הָיָה לָנוּ [הַבֵּיט כ] (הַבִּיטָה ק) וּרְאֵה אֶת־חֶרְפָּתֵנוּ | 1 Yahweh, remember what has happened to us; consider, and see our degradation. |
2 נַחֲלָתֵנוּ נֶהֶפְכָה לְזָרִים בָּתֵּינוּ לְנָכְרִים | 2 Our heritage has passed to strangers, our homes to foreigners. |
3 יְתֹומִים הָיִינוּ [אֵין כ] (וְאֵין ק) אָב אִמֹּתֵינוּ כְּאַלְמָנֹות | 3 We are orphans, we are fatherless; our mothers are like widows. |
4 מֵימֵינוּ בְּכֶסֶף שָׁתִינוּ עֵצֵינוּ בִּמְחִיר יָבֹאוּ | 4 We have to buy our own water to drink, our own wood we can get only at a price. |
5 עַל צַוָּארֵנוּ נִרְדָּפְנוּ יָגַעְנוּ [לֹא כ] (וְלֹא ק) הוּנַח־לָנוּ | 5 The yoke is on our necks; we are persecuted; exhausted we are, al owed no rest. |
6 מִצְרַיִם נָתַנּוּ יָד אַשּׁוּר לִשְׂבֹּעַ לָחֶם | 6 We made a pact with Egypt, with Assyria, to have plenty of food. |
7 אֲבֹתֵינוּ חָטְאוּ [אֵינָם כ] (וְאֵינָם ק) [אֲנַחְנוּ כ] (וַאֲנַחְנוּ ק) עֲוֹנֹתֵיהֶם סָבָלְנוּ | 7 Our ancestors sinned; they are no more, and we bear the weight of their guilt. |
8 עֲבָדִים מָשְׁלוּ בָנוּ פֹּרֵק אֵין מִיָּדָם | 8 Slaves rule us; there is no one to rescue us from their clutches. |
9 בְּנַפְשֵׁנוּ נָבִיא לַחְמֵנוּ מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב הַמִּדְבָּר | 9 At peril of our lives we earn our bread, by risking the sword of the desert. |
10 עֹורֵנוּ כְּתַנּוּר נִכְמָרוּ מִפְּנֵי זַלְעֲפֹות רָעָב | 10 Our skin is as hot as an oven, from the scorch of famine. |
11 נָשִׁים בְּצִיֹּון עִנּוּ בְּתֻלֹת בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה | 11 The women in Zion have been raped, the young girls in the towns of Judah. |
12 שָׂרִים בְּיָדָם נִתְלוּ פְּנֵי זְקֵנִים לֹא נֶהְדָּרוּ | 12 Princes have been hanged by their hands; the face of the old has won no respect. |
13 בַּחוּרִים טְחֹון נָשָׂאוּ וּנְעָרִים בָּעֵץ כָּשָׁלוּ | 13 Youths have been put to the mil , boys stagger under loads of wood. |
14 זְקֵנִים מִשַּׁעַר שָׁבָתוּ בַּחוּרִים מִנְּגִינָתָם | 14 The elders have deserted the gateway; the young have given up their music. |
15 שָׁבַת מְשֹׂושׂ לִבֵּנוּ נֶהְפַּךְ לְאֵבֶל מְחֹלֵנוּ | 15 Joy has vanished from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. |
16 נָפְלָה עֲטֶרֶת רֹאשֵׁנוּ אֹוי־נָא לָנוּ כִּי חָטָאנוּ | 16 The crown has fallen from our heads. Alas that ever we sinned! |
17 עַל־זֶה הָיָה דָוֶה לִבֵּנוּ עַל־אֵלֶּה חָשְׁכוּ עֵינֵינוּ | 17 This is why our hearts are sick; this is why our eyes are dim: |
18 עַל הַר־צִיֹּון שֶׁשָּׁמֵם שׁוּעָלִים הִלְּכוּ־בֹו׃ פ | 18 because Mount Zion is desolate; jackals roam to and fro on it. |
19 אַתָּה יְהוָה לְעֹולָם תֵּשֵׁב כִּסְאֲךָ לְדֹר וָדֹור | 19 Yet you, Yahweh, rule from eternity; your throne endures from age to age. |
20 לָמָּה לָנֶצַח תִּשְׁכָּחֵנוּ תַּעַזְבֵנוּ לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים | 20 Why do you never remember us? Why do you abandon us so long? |
21 הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יְהוָה ׀ אֵלֶיךָ [וְנָשׁוּב כ] (וְנָשׁוּבָה ק) חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם | 21 Make us come back to you, Yahweh, and we will come back. Restore us as we were before! |
22 כִּי אִם־מָאֹס מְאַסְתָּנוּ קָצַפְתָּ עָלֵינוּ עַד־מְאֹד | 22 Unless you have utterly rejected us, in an anger which knows no limit. |