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.
Hĩ! Kaĩ thahabu ĩyo nĩĩthirĩte ũkengu wayo-ĩ, thahabu ĩrĩa therie kaĩ ĩrĩ gũthita-ĩ! Tũhiga twa goro tũrĩa twamũre nĩtũhurunjĩtwo magomano-inĩ ma njĩra ciothe.
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!
Ariũ a Zayuni arĩa me bata, arĩa rĩmwe mangĩaringithanirio na thogora wa thahabu, kaĩ rĩu moonagwo ta nyũngũ cia rĩũmba-ĩ, o ta wĩra wa moko ma mũũmbi!
3 Even jackals nurse their young at their breasts, but the women of my people have become cruel, like an ostrich in the desert.
O na mbwe nĩciongithagia ciana ciacio, no andũ akwa matuĩkĩte andũ matarĩ tha, o ta nyaga cia werũ-inĩ.
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.
Rũrĩmĩ rwa gakenge rũnyiitanĩte na karakara nĩ ũndũ wa kũnyoota; twana tũhooyaga irio, no gũtirĩ mũndũ ũtũheaga.
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.
Andũ arĩa rĩmwe maarĩĩaga irio njega, rĩu maikaraga njĩra-inĩ mekonotete, arĩa maarerirwo makĩhumbagwo nguo cia rangi wa ndathi-rĩ, rĩu makomaga ciara-inĩ cia mũhu.
6 Jerusalem's punishment is worse than sinful Sodom's, which was destroyed in a brief moment, without the help of human hands.
Iherithia rĩa andũ akwa nĩ inene gũkĩra rĩa itũũra rĩa Sodomu, rĩrĩa rĩangʼaũranirio o rĩmwe, gũtarĩ guoko kwarĩteithirie.
7 Her leaders were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were a healthier red than coral, and they shone like lapis lazuli.
Anene akuo maatherete gũkĩra tharunji, na makeerũha gũkĩra iria, maarĩ atune mĩĩrĩ gũkĩra ruru ĩrĩa ndune, magakĩhaana ta kahiga ka goro karĩa getagwo yakuti.
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.
No rĩu mairĩte o na gũkĩra mbiro; matikũũrĩkanaga marĩ njĩra-inĩ. Ikonde cia mĩĩrĩ yao ciũmanĩrĩire na mahĩndĩ; ciumĩte o ta rũthanju.
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.
Kaba arĩa mooragagwo na rũhiũ rwa njora, kũrĩ arĩa makuuaga nĩ ngʼaragu; matooragio nĩkũhũũta, makamoca nĩ ũndũ wa kwaga irio cia kuuma mũgũnda.
10 The hands of loving women have cooked their own children to eat during the destruction of Jerusalem.
Moko ma andũ-a-nja arĩa marĩ tha nĩmarugire ciana ciao ene, igĩtuĩka irio ciao hĩndĩ ĩyo andũ akwa manangirwo.
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.
Jehova nĩarekereirie mangʼũrĩ make biũ; aitũrũrĩte marakara make mahiũ. Nĩakĩtie mwaki kũu Zayuni ũrĩa ũcinĩte mĩthingi yakuo.
12 No king on earth—in fact nobody in all the world—thought that an enemy or attacker could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
Athamaki a thĩ matingĩetĩkirie, o na kana kĩrĩndĩ o na kĩmwe gĩa gũkũ thĩ, atĩ thũ na amuku nĩmangĩahotire gũtoonya ihingo cia Jerusalemu.
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.
No ũndũ ũcio wekĩkire nĩ ũndũ wa mehia ma anabii akuo, na mawaganu ma athĩnjĩri-Ngai akuo arĩa manaita thakame ya andũ arĩa athingu kũu thĩinĩ.
14 They wandered like blind men through the streets, made unclean by this blood, so no one would touch their clothes.
Rĩu maturuuraga njĩra-inĩ ta andũ atumumu. Mathaahĩtio nĩ thakame ũũ atĩ gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe ũngĩgeria kũhutia nguo ciao.
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!”
Andũ mamakayagĩrĩria, makoiga atĩrĩ, “Thiĩi nakũu! Mũrĩ na thaahu! Thiĩi! Thiĩi! Mũtigatũhutie!” Ningĩ moora na maatuĩka orũũri, makeerwo atĩrĩ kũu ndũrĩrĩ-inĩ, “Matingĩikara gũkũ rĩngĩ.”
16 The Lord himself has scattered them; he doesn't bother with them anymore. Nobody respects the priests, and nobody admires the leaders.
Jehova we mwene nĩwe ũmahurunjĩte; nĩatigĩte kũmarũmbũiya. Athĩnjĩri-Ngai matiheagwo gĩtĩĩo, o na makarega gũtuga athuuri.
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.
Makĩria ma ũguo-rĩ, maitho maitũ nĩmathirire hinya, o tũcũthĩrĩirie ũteithio ũrĩa tũtoonire; kuuma mĩthiringo iitũ ĩrĩa mĩraihu-rĩ, twetereire rũrĩrĩ rũtangĩahotire gũtũhonokia.
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.
Andũ maatũcemaga ikinya gwa ikinya, nĩ ũndũ ũcio tũtingĩathiĩrĩire njĩra-inĩ ciitũ. Ithirĩro riitũ rĩgĩkuhĩrĩria, namo matukũ maitũ maarĩ matare, nĩgũkorwo ithirĩro riitũ nĩrĩakinyĩte.
19 Our pursuers were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased us across the mountains and ambushed us in the desert.
Andũ arĩa matũingatithĩtie-rĩ, maarĩ na ihenya gũkĩra nderi irĩ rĩera-inĩ; maatũhanyũkagĩria irĩma-inĩ, na magatuoheria werũ-inĩ.
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.”
Mũndũ ũrĩa mũitĩrĩrie maguta nĩ Jehova, o we ũrĩa warĩ ta mĩhũmũ iitũ-rĩ, nĩagwatirio nĩ mĩtego yao. Tweciiragia atĩ tũrĩ kĩĩruru-inĩ gĩake-rĩ, no tũtũũre gatagatĩ ka ndũrĩrĩ.
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.
Kena na ũcanjamũke, wee Mwarĩ wa Edomu, o wee ũtũũraga bũrũri wa Uzu. No rĩrĩ, o nawe gĩkombe gĩkĩ nĩgĩgagũkora; ũgaakĩnyuĩra ũrĩĩo, na ũrutwo nguo, ũtigwo njaga.
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.
Wee Mwarĩ wa Zayuni-rĩ, iherithia rĩaku nĩrĩgathira; ndakoongerera ihinda rĩaku rĩa gũikara ũrĩ mũtahe. No wee, Mwarĩ wa Edomu-rĩ, nĩagakũherithĩria mehia maku na aguũrie waganu waku.
