Lamentations 4
1 How gold has tarnished! Even pure gold has lost its shine! Jewels from the Temple have been scattered on every street corner.
How! it is dimmed gold it is changed the gold fine they lie scattered stones of holiness at [the] head of all [the] streets.
2 Look at how the precious people of Zion, worth their weight in gold, are now valued like cheap clay jars made by a potter!
[the] children of Zion precious who were weighed with pure gold how! they are considered to jars of earthenware [the] work of [the] hands of a potter.
3 Even jackals nurse their young at their breasts, but the women of my people have become cruel, like an ostrich in the desert.
Also (jackals *Q(K)*) they draw out a breast they suckle young their [the] daughter of people my [has become] cruel (like ostriches *Q(K)*) in the wilderness.
4 The nursing babies are so thirsty that their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths. Little children beg for food, but nobody gives them anything.
It has cleaved [the] tongue of a suckling-child to (palate its *L(abh)*) by thirst children they have asked for bread [one who] breaks [it] not [belonged] to them.
5 Those who used to eat gourmet food now die starving in the streets. Those who dressed in fine clothes from their childhood now live in heaps of rubbish.
The [ones] eating delicacies they are desolate in the streets the [ones] brought up on crimson they have embraced ash heaps.
6 Jerusalem's punishment is worse than sinful Sodom's, which was destroyed in a brief moment, without the help of human hands.
And it has become great [the] iniquity of [the] daughter of people my more than [the] sin of Sodom which was overthrown like a moment and not they twisted on it hands.
7 Her leaders were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were a healthier red than coral, and they shone like lapis lazuli.
They were bright ones of high rank its more than snow they were dazzling more than milk they were red bone more than corals [was] sapphire polishing their.
8 But now they look blacker than soot; no one recognizes them in the street. Their skin has shrunk to their bones and is as dry as wood.
It is dark more than soot appearance their not they are recognized in the streets it has shriveled skin their on bone their dry it has become like wood.
9 Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who slowly waste away in agony because the fields produce no crops.
Good they are [those] slain of a sword more than [those] slain of hunger who they they flow away pierced through from [the] produce of [the] field.
10 The hands of loving women have cooked their own children to eat during the destruction of Jerusalem.
[the] hands of Women compassionate they have boiled own children their they have been for eating for them in [the] brokenness of [the] daughter of people my.
11 The Lord has given full expression to his anger. He has poured out his fury. He has started a fire in Zion, and it has burned down her very foundations.
He has completed Yahweh rage his he has poured out [the] burning of anger his and he has kindled a fire in Zion and it has consumed foundations its.
12 No king on earth—in fact nobody in all the world—thought that an enemy or attacker could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
Not they believed [the] kings of [the] earth (all *Q(K)*) [the] inhabitants of [the] world that he will go opponent and enemy in [the] gates of Jerusalem.
13 But this happened because of the sins of her prophets and the wickedness of her priests, who shed the blood of the innocent right there in the city.
From [the] sins of prophets its [the] iniquities of priests its who shed in midst its [the] blood of righteous [people].
14 They wandered like blind men through the streets, made unclean by this blood, so no one would touch their clothes.
They wandered blind [people] in the streets they were defiled by the blood in not people were able people touched clothes their.
15 “Go away! You're unclean!” people would shout at them, “Go away, go away! Don't touch us!” So they ran away and wandered from country to country, but the people there told them, “You can't stay here!”
Depart unclean people called out to them depart depart may not you touch for they fled also they wandered people said among the nations not they will increase to sojourn.
16 The Lord himself has scattered them; he doesn't bother with them anymore. Nobody respects the priests, and nobody admires the leaders.
[the] presence of Yahweh it scattered them not he will repeat to pay attention to them [the] face of priests not they lifted up (and elders *Q(K)*) not they showed favor to.
17 We wore out our eyes pointlessly looking for help the whole time; we watched from our towers for a nation to come that couldn't save us.
(Yet we *Q(K)*) they failed eyes our to help our futility in watchtower our we watched to a nation [which] not it will save.
18 The enemy tracked our every movement so we couldn't walk through our streets. Our end approached. Our time was up because our end had come.
They hunted steps our from walking in open places our it drew near end our they were completed days our for it had come end our.
19 Our pursuers were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased us across the mountains and ambushed us in the desert.
Swift they were pursuers our more than [the] eagles of heaven on the mountains they hotly pursued us in the wilderness they lay in wait for us.
20 The king, the Lord's anointed, our country's “life-breath,” was trapped and captured by them. We had said about him, “Under his protection we will live among the nations.”
[the] breath of Nostrils our [the] [one] anointed of Yahweh he was captured in pits their whom we had said in shadow his we will live among the nations.
21 Celebrate and be happy while you can, people of Edom, you who live in the land of Uz, because this cup will be passed to you too. You will get drunk and strip yourself naked.
Exult and rejoice O daughter of Edom ([who] dwells *Q(K)*) in [the] land of Uz also to you it will pass on a cup you will become drunk and you may strip yourself naked.
22 People of Zion, your punishment is coming to an end—he won't continue your exile for long. But he is going to punish your sins, people of Edom; he will reveal your sins.
It will finish iniquity your O daughter of Zion not he will increase to take into exile you he will punish iniquity your O daughter of Edom he will make known on sins your.
