Lamentations 4
1 [ALEPH-BET] How the gold has become dim, Changed the best—the pure gold! Stones of the sanctuary are poured out At the head of all out-places.
How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! The hallowed stones are cast forth at the head of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion, Who are comparable with fine gold, How they have been reckoned earthen bottles, Work of the hands of a potter.
The noble sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, How are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
3 Even dragons have drawn out the breast, They have suckled their young ones, The daughter of my people has become cruel, Like the ostriches in a wilderness.
The very jackals reach forth the breast; they suckle their young; But the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches of the desert.
4 The tongue of a suckling has cleaved to his palate with thirst, Infants asked for bread, they have no dealer [of it] out.
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; Young children ask for bread, and no man breaketh it for them.
5 Those eating of delicacies have been desolate in out-places, Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills.
Those that fed on dainties are desolate in the streets; Those that have been brought up in scarlet embrace the dunghill.
6 And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as [in] a moment, And no hands were stayed on her.
The punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of Sodom, Which was overthrown in a moment, though no hands came against her.
7 Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form.
Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; More ruddy than coral was their body; Their visage was of sapphire.
8 Their face has been darker than blackness, They have not been known in out-places, Their skin has cleaved to their bone, It has withered—it has been as wood.
Now darker than a coal is their countenance; they are not known in the streets. Their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is become dry, like wood.
9 Better have been the pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced through, Without the increase of the field.
More fortunate are the slain by the sword than the slain by famine; For these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.
10 The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of tender-hearted women cooked their own children; They were their food, in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 YHWH has completed His fury, He has poured out the fierceness of His anger, And He kindles a fire in Zion, And it devours her foundations.
Jehovah hath spent upon them his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger; He hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured its foundations.
12 The kings of earth did not believe, And any of the inhabitants of the world, That an adversary and enemy would come Into the gates of Jerusalem.
The kings of the earth believed not, nor all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary would enter, and the enemy, within the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Because of the sins of her prophets, The iniquities of her priests, Who are shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous,
It was on account of the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, Who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous.
14 They have wandered naked in out-places, They have been defiled with blood, Without [any] being able to touch their clothing,
They stumbled like blind men through the streets, polluted with blood, So that men could not touch their garments.
15 “Turn aside—unclean,” they called to them, “Turn aside, turn aside, do not touch,” For they fled—indeed, they have wandered, They have said among nations: “They do not add to sojourn.”
“Depart! unclean!” men cried to them. “Depart, depart, touch not!” As they fled, they stumbled; men said among the nations, “They shall dwell there no more.”
16 The face of YHWH has divided them, He does not add to behold them, They have not lifted up the face of priests, They have not favored [the] old and elderly.
The anger of Jehovah hath scattered them; he will no more care for them; They paid no regard to the priests, they had no compassion for the elders.
17 While we exist—consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watchtower we have watched for a nation [that] does not save.
Still did our eyes fail, looking for help in vain; On our watch-tower did we watch for a nation that could not save us.
18 They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, Near has been our end, fulfilled our days, For our end has come.
They laid snares for our steps, so that we could not go in our streets; Our end is near; our days are accomplished, yea, our end is come!
19 Swifter have been our pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned [after] us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.
Swifter were our pursuers than the eagles of heaven; They chased us upon the mountains; they laid wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our nostrils—the anointed of YHWH, Has been captured in their pits, of whom we said: “We live among nations in his shadow.”
The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits, Under whose shadow we said that we should live among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Dwelling in the land of Uz, Even to you a cup passes over, You are drunk, and make yourself naked.
Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz! Yet to thee also shall the cup come! thou shalt be drunken, and shalt expose thy nakedness.
22 Completed [is] your iniquity, daughter of Zion, He does not add to remove you, He has inspected your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He has removed [you] because of your sins!
Thy punishment is at an end, O daughter of Zion! no more will he carry thee into captivity; But thine iniquity will he punish, O daughter of Edom! he will uncover thy sins.
