11. Women have been raped in Zion,young women in Judah’s cities.
12. Officials have been hung up by their hands;elders have been shown no respect.
13. Young men have carried grinding stones;boys have stumbled under loads of wood.
14. Elders have left the city gate;young people stop their music.
15. Joy has left our heart;our dancing has changed into lamentation.
16. The crown has fallen off our head.We are doomed because we have sinned.
17. Because of all this our heart is sick;because of these things our glance is dark.
18. Mount Zion, now deserted—only jackals walk on it now!
19. But you, Lord, will rule forever;your throne lasts from one generation to the next.
20. Why do you forget us continually;why do you abandon us for such a long time?
21. Return us, Lord, to yourself. Please let us return!Give us new days, like those long ago—