The Bible in Basic English BBE
Orthodox Jewish Bible OJB
1 Keep in mind, O Lord, what has come to us: take note and see our shame.
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Remember, Hashem, what is come upon us; consider, and behold our reproach.
2 Our heritage is given up to men of strange lands, our houses to those who are not our countrymen.
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Our nachalah is turned over to zarim, our batim (houses) to foreigners.
3 We are children without fathers, our mothers are like widows.
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We are yetomim and fatherless, immoteinu are like almanot.
4 We give money for a drink of water, we get our wood for a price.
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We must pay kesef for our own mayim; our wood is sold unto us.
5 Our attackers are on our necks: overcome with weariness, we have no rest.
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Our necks are under persecution; we are weary, and have no rest.
6 We have given our hands to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians so that we might have enough bread.
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We have submitted to the Mitzrayim, and to the Assyrians, to get enough lechem.
7 Our fathers were sinners and are dead; and the weight of their evil-doing is on us.
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Avoteinu have sinned, and are no more; and we have borne their iniquities.
8 Servants are ruling over us, and there is no one to make us free from their hands.
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Avadim have ruled over us; there is none that doth deliver us out of their yad.
9 We put our lives in danger to get our bread, because of the sword of the waste land.
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We get our lechem with the peril of our lives because of the cherev of the midbar.
10 Our skin is heated like an oven because of our burning heat from need of food.
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Our skin was hot like an oven because we burn with ra’av (hunger, famine).
11 They took by force the women in Zion, the virgins in the towns of Judah.
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They ravished the nashim in Tziyon, and the betulot in the towns of Yehudah.
12 Their hands put princes to death by hanging: the faces of old men were not honoured.
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Sarim (princes) are hanged by their yad; the faces of Zekenim were not respected.
13 The young men were crushing the grain, and the boys were falling under the wood.
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They took the bochurim to grind, and the ne’arim staggered under the wood.
14 The old men are no longer seated in the doorway, and the music of the young men has come to an end.
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The zekenim have ceased from the sha’ar, the bochurim from their music.
15 The joy of our hearts is ended; our dancing is changed into sorrow.
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The joy of our heart is gone; mekholeinu (our dance) is turned into mourning.
16 The crown has been taken from our head: sorrow is ours, for we are sinners.
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The ateret is fallen from our head; woe unto us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our hearts are feeble; for these things our eyes are dark;
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For this our lev is faint; because of these things our eyes are dim.
18 Because of the mountain of Zion which is a waste; jackals go over it.
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Because of the Har Tziyon, which is desolate, the jackals prowl upon it.
19 You, O Lord, are seated as King for ever; the seat of your power is eternal.
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Thou, Hashem, remainest forever;Thy throne from generation to generation.
20 Why have we gone from your memory for ever? why have you been turned away from us for so long?
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Why dost Thou forget us forever, and forsake us for so long?
21 Make us come back to you, O Lord, and let us be turned; make our days new again as in the past.
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Restore us, Hashem, to Thyself that we may return; renew yamenu (our days) as of old.
22 But you have quite given us up; you are full of wrath against us.
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Unless Thou hast utterly rejected us and Thou art angry with us beyond measure.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.