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.
| אֵיכָה֙ יוּעַ֣ם זָהָ֔ב יִשְׁנֶ֖א הַכֶּ֣תֶם הַטֹּ֑וב תִּשְׁתַּפֵּ֙כְנָה֙ אַבְנֵי־קֹ֔דֶשׁ בְּרֹ֖אשׁ כָּל־חוּצֹֽות׃ ס |
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!
| בְּנֵ֤י צִיֹּון֙ הַיְקָרִ֔ים הַמְסֻלָּאִ֖ים בַּפָּ֑ז אֵיכָ֤ה נֶחְשְׁבוּ֙ לְנִבְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶשׂ מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יְדֵ֥י יֹוצֵֽר׃ ס |
3 Even jackals nurse their young at their breasts, but the women of my people have become cruel, like an ostrich in the desert.
| גַּם־תַּנִּין (תַּנִּים֙) חָ֣לְצוּ שַׁ֔ד הֵינִ֖יקוּ גּוּרֵיהֶ֑ן בַּת־עַמִּ֣י לְאַכְזָ֔ר כִּי עֵנִים (כַּיְעֵנִ֖ים) בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ ס |
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.
| דָּבַ֨ק לְשֹׁ֥ון יֹונֵ֛ק אֶל־חִכֹּ֖ו בַּצָּמָ֑א עֹֽולָלִים֙ שָׁ֣אֲלוּ לֶ֔חֶם פֹּרֵ֖שׂ אֵ֥ין לָהֶֽם׃ ס |
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.
| הָאֹֽכְלִים֙ לְמַ֣עֲדַנִּ֔ים נָשַׁ֖מּוּ בַּחוּצֹ֑ות הָאֱמֻנִים֙ עֲלֵ֣י תֹולָ֔ע חִבְּק֖וּ אַשְׁפַּתֹּֽות׃ ס |
6 Jerusalem's punishment is worse than sinful Sodom's, which was destroyed in a brief moment, without the help of human hands.
| וַיִּגְדַּל֙ עֲוֹ֣ן בַּת־עַמִּ֔י מֵֽחַטַּ֖את סְדֹ֑ם הַֽהֲפוּכָ֣ה כְמֹו־רָ֔גַע וְלֹא־חָ֥לוּ בָ֖הּ יָדָֽיִם׃ ס |
7 Her leaders were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were a healthier red than coral, and they shone like lapis lazuli.
| זַכּ֤וּ נְזִירֶ֙יהָ֙ מִשֶּׁ֔לֶג צַח֖וּ מֵחָלָ֑ב אָ֤דְמוּ עֶ֙צֶם֙ מִפְּנִינִ֔ים סַפִּ֖יר גִּזְרָתָֽם׃ ס |
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.
| חָשַׁ֤ךְ מִשְּׁחֹור֙ תָּֽאֳרָ֔ם לֹ֥א נִכְּר֖וּ בַּחוּצֹ֑ות צָפַ֤ד עֹורָם֙ עַל־עַצְמָ֔ם יָבֵ֖שׁ הָיָ֥ה כָעֵֽץ׃ ס |
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.
| טֹובִ֤ים הָיוּ֙ חַלְלֵי־חֶ֔רֶב מֵֽחַלְלֵ֖י רָעָ֑ב שֶׁ֣הֵ֤ם יָז֙וּבוּ֙ מְדֻקָּרִ֔ים מִתְּנוּבֹ֖ת שָׂדָֽי׃ ס |
10 The hands of loving women have cooked their own children to eat during the destruction of Jerusalem.
| יְדֵ֗י נָשִׁים֙ רַחֲמָ֣נִיֹּ֔ות בִּשְּׁל֖וּ יַלְדֵיהֶ֑ן הָי֤וּ לְבָרֹות֙ לָ֔מֹו בְּשֶׁ֖בֶר בַּת־עַמִּֽי׃ ס |
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.
| כִּלָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אֶת־חֲמָתֹ֔ו שָׁפַ֖ךְ חֲרֹ֣ון אַפֹּ֑ו וַיַּצֶּת־אֵ֣שׁ בְּצִיֹּ֔ון וַתֹּ֖אכַל יְסֹודֹתֶֽיהָ׃ ס |
12 No king on earth—in fact nobody in all the world—thought that an enemy or attacker could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
| לֹ֤א הֶאֱמִ֙ינוּ֙ מַלְכֵי־אֶ֔רֶץ וְכֹל (כֹּ֖ל) יֹשְׁבֵ֣י תֵבֵ֑ל כִּ֤י יָבֹא֙ צַ֣ר וְאֹויֵ֔ב בְּשַׁעֲרֵ֖י יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ ס |
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.
| מֵֽחַטֹּ֣את נְבִיאֶ֔יהָ עֲוֹנֹ֖ות כֹּהֲנֶ֑יהָ הַשֹּׁפְכִ֥ים בְּקִרְבָּ֖הּ דַּ֥ם צַדִּיקִֽים׃ ס |
14 They wandered like blind men through the streets, made unclean by this blood, so no one would touch their clothes.
| נָע֤וּ עִוְרִים֙ בַּֽחוּצֹ֔ות נְגֹֽאֲל֖וּ בַּדָּ֑ם בְּלֹ֣א יֽוּכְל֔וּ יִגְּע֖וּ בִּלְבֻשֵׁיהֶֽם׃ ס |
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!”
| ס֣וּרוּ טָמֵ֞א קָ֣רְאוּ לָ֗מֹו ס֤וּרוּ ס֙וּרוּ֙ אַל־תִּגָּ֔עוּ כִּ֥י נָצ֖וּ גַּם־נָ֑עוּ אָֽמְרוּ֙ בַּגֹּויִ֔ם לֹ֥א יֹוסִ֖יפוּ לָגֽוּר׃ ס |
16 The Lord himself has scattered them; he doesn't bother with them anymore. Nobody respects the priests, and nobody admires the leaders.
| פְּנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ חִלְּקָ֔ם לֹ֥א יֹוסִ֖יף לְהַבִּיטָ֑ם פְּנֵ֤י כֹהֲנִים֙ לֹ֣א נָשָׂ֔אוּ זְקֵנִים (וּזְקֵנִ֖ים) לֹ֥א חָנָֽנוּ׃ ס |
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.
| עֹודֵינָה (עֹודֵ֙ינוּ֙) תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה עֵינֵ֔ינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵ֖נוּ הָ֑בֶל בְּצִפִּיָּתֵ֣נוּ צִפִּ֔ינוּ אֶל־גֹּ֖וי לֹ֥א יֹושִֽׁעַ׃ ס |
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.
| צָד֣וּ צְעָדֵ֔ינוּ מִלֶּ֖כֶת בִּרְחֹבֹתֵ֑ינוּ קָרַ֥ב קִצֵּ֛ינוּ מָלְא֥וּ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כִּי־בָ֥א קִצֵּֽינוּ׃ ס |
19 Our pursuers were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased us across the mountains and ambushed us in the desert.
| קַלִּ֤ים הָיוּ֙ רֹדְפֵ֔ינוּ מִנִּשְׁרֵ֖י שָׁמָ֑יִם עַל־הֶהָרִ֣ים דְּלָקֻ֔נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר אָ֥רְבוּ לָֽנוּ׃ ס |
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.”
| ר֤וּחַ אַפֵּ֙ינוּ֙ מְשִׁ֣יחַ יְהוָ֔ה נִלְכַּ֖ד בִּשְׁחִיתֹותָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֔רְנוּ בְּצִלֹּ֖ו נִֽחְיֶ֥ה בַגֹּויִֽם׃ ס |
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.
| שִׂ֤ישִׂי וְשִׂמְחִי֙ בַּת־אֱדֹ֔ום יֹושַׁבְתִּי (יֹושֶׁ֖בֶת) בְּאֶ֣רֶץ ע֑וּץ גַּם־עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ תַּעֲבָר־כֹּ֔וס תִּשְׁכְּרִ֖י וְתִתְעָרִֽי׃ ס |
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.
| תַּם־עֲוֹנֵךְ֙ בַּת־צִיֹּ֔ון לֹ֥א יֹוסִ֖יף לְהַגְלֹותֵ֑ךְ פָּקַ֤ד עֲוֹנֵךְ֙ בַּת־אֱדֹ֔ום גִּלָּ֖ה עַל־חַטֹּאתָֽיִךְ׃ פ |
