² Judah and Jerusalem weep as the land dries up.  ³ Rulers send their servants to the storage pits for water.
   But there’s none to be found; they return in despair with their jars still empty.
⁴ There has been no rain, and farmers feel sick as they watch cracks appear in the dry ground.
⁵ A deer gives birth in a field, then abandons her newborn fawn and leaves in search of grass.
⁶ Wild donkeys go blind from starvation.  So they stand on barren hilltops and sniff the air, hoping to smell green grass.

⁷ We rejected you and did evil, so we deserve to be punished.  But if you rescue us, Lord, everyone will see how great you are.
⁸ You’re our only hope; you alone can save us now.  You help us one day, but you’re gone the next.
⁹ Did this disaster take you by surprise?  Are you a warrior with your hands tied?  You have chosen us, and your temple is here.
  Don’t abandon us!