1. The Lord said to me concerning the drought,
2. “Judah is in mourning;its cities are dying,its people lie on the ground in sorrow,and Jerusalem cries out for help.
3. The rich people send their servants for water;they go to the cisterns,but find no water;they come back with their jars empty.Discouraged and confused,they hide their faces.
4. Because there is no rainand the ground is dried up,the farmers are sick at heart;they hide their faces.
5. In the field the mother deerabandons her newborn fawnbecause there is no grass.
6. The wild donkeys stand on the hilltopsand pant for breath like jackals;their eyesight fails thembecause they have no food.
7. My people cry out to me,‘Even though our sins accuse us,help us, Lord, as you have promised.We have turned away from you many times;we have sinned against you.