Prayer for Restoration
1
Lord, remember what has happened to us.
2Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
our houses to foreigners.
3We have become orphans, fatherless;
our mothers are widows.
4We must pay for the water we drink;
our wood comes at a price.
5We are closely pursued;
we are tired, and no one offers us rest.
6We made a treaty with5:6 Lit We gave the hand to Egypt
and with Assyria, to get enough food.5:6 Hs 12:1
7Our ancestors sinned; they no longer exist,
but we bear their punishment.5:7 Ex 34:7; Lv 26:39; Dt 24:16; Ezk 18:2–4
8Slaves rule over us;5:8 Pr 30:21–23; Ec 10:7
no one rescues us from them.
9We secure our food at the risk of our lives
because of the sword in the wilderness.
from the ravages of hunger.
11Women have been raped in Zion,
virgins in the cities of Judah.
12Princes have been hung up by their hands;
elders are shown no respect.5:12 Lm 4:16
boys stumble under loads of wood.
14The elders have left the city gate,
the young men, their music.5:14 Is 24:8
our dancing has turned to mourning.
17Because of this, our heart is sick;
18because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate
and has jackals prowling in it.5:18 Is 13:19–22; 34:11–15
19You, Lord, are enthroned forever;
your throne endures from generation to generation.5:19 Ps 9:7; 45:6; 102:12; Ezk 43:7; Heb 1:8; Rv 4:9–10; 5:13
abandon us for our entire lives?
renew our days as in former times,
22unless you have completely rejected us
and are intensely angry with us.
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