Lamentations 4
1 how? to darken gold to change [the] gold [the] pleasant to pour: scatter stone holiness in/on/with head: top all outside
[Previously our people were like] [MET] pure gold, but now they are worthless. [Like] [MET] the sacred stones in the temple have been scattered, [our young men have been scattered].
2 son: descendant/people Zion [the] precious [the] to weigh in/on/with pure gold how? to devise: count to/for bag earthenware deed: work hand to form: potter
The young men of Jerusalem were as valuable as [MET] large amounts of gold, but now people consider that they are as worthless as [ordinary] clay pots.
3 also (jackal *Q(K)*) to rescue breast to suckle whelp their daughter people my to/for cruel (for like/as ostrich *Q(K)*) in/on/with wilderness
Even the [female] jackals/wolves feed their pups, but my people act cruelly [toward their children]; they are like [SIM] ostriches in the desert [that abandon their eggs].
4 to cleave tongue to suckle to(wards) (palate his *L(abh)*) in/on/with thirst infant to ask food to spread nothing to/for them
[My people’s] infants’ tongues cling to the roofs/tops of their mouths because they are [extremely] thirsty; the children plead for some food, but no one gives them [any].
5 [the] to eat to/for delicacy be desolate: destroyed in/on/with outside [the] be faithful upon worm to embrace refuse
People who [previously] ate fine food are [now] starving in the streets; those who previously lived luxuriously [MTY] [now] paw/dig through rubbish heaps [to find some food].
6 and to magnify iniquity: punishment daughter people my from sin: punishment Sodom [the] to overturn like moment and not to twist: tremble in/on/with her hand
[The people of] Sodom were struck with a disaster very suddenly, and there was no one to rescue them; but my people have been punished more severely than [the people of] Sodom were punished.
7 be clean Nazirite her from snow be dazzling from milk to redden bone: body from jewel sapphire cutting/separation their
Our leaders’ [behavior] was [previously] very pure, whiter [and brighter] than snow and milk; their bodies were redder than [red] coral/stones; they were very strong and healthy [MET].
8 to darken from blackness appearance their not to recognize in/on/with outside to shrivel skin their upon bone their dry to be like/as tree: wood
But now their faces are blacker than soot, and no one recognizes them in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones, and it has become as dry as [SIM] a wooden [stick].
9 pleasant to be slain: killed sword from slain: killed famine which/that they(masc.) to flow: waste away to pierce from fruit field
It is better to die in a battle [MTY] than to die of hunger. There was no food to harvest in the fields, so the people slowly starved until they died.
10 hand woman compassionate to boil youth their to be to/for to eat to/for them in/on/with breaking daughter people my
Women who [usually/previously] were very kind have [killed and] cooked their own children; they ate them [when there was no other food], when Jerusalem was surrounded [by enemy soldiers].
11 to end: expend LORD [obj] rage his to pour: pour burning anger face: anger his and to kindle fire in/on/with Zion and to eat foundation her
Yahweh has shown that he was extremely angry; [it is as though] he started/ignited a fire in Jerusalem that burned everything to ashes.
12 not be faithful king land: country/planet (all *Q(K)*) to dwell world for to come (in): come enemy and enemy in/on/with gate Jerusalem
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 from sin prophet her iniquity: crime priest her [the] to pour: kill in/on/with entrails: among her blood righteous
[But that is what happened]; it happened because the prophets sinned; and the priests [also] sinned by causing innocent people to be executed [MTY].
14 to shake blind in/on/with outside to defile in/on/with blood in/on/with not be able to touch in/on/with clothing their
The prophets and priests wandered through the streets [as though they were] blind. No one would touch them because their clothes were stained with the blood [of people who had been killed].
15 to turn aside: remove unclean to call: call out to/for them to turn aside: remove to turn aside: remove not to touch for to flee also to shake to say in/on/with nation not to add: again to/for to sojourn
The people [who were alive] shouted, “Stay away [from us] [DOU]! You are defiled/untouchable! Do not touch us!” So the prophets and priests fled [from Israel], and they wandered around from one country to another, because people [in each country] kept saying to them, “You cannot stay here!”
16 face of LORD to divide them not to add: again to/for to look them face: kindness priest not to lift: kindness (and old: elder *Q(K)*) not be gracious
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
17 (still we *Q(K)*) to end: expend eye our to(wards) help our vanity in/on/with watch our to watch to(wards) nation not to save
We [SYN] continued to look for someone to help [us], but it was useless. We continued to watch to see if one of our allies would save us, but none of the nations that we were waiting for could help [us].
18 to hunt step our from to go: walk in/on/with street/plaza our to present: come end our to fill day our for to come (in): come end our
[Our] enemies were hunting for us, so we could not [even] walk in our streets [lest they seize us]. We were about to be captured; it was time for us to be killed.
19 swift to be to pursue us from eagle heaven upon [the] mountain: mount to burn/pursue us in/on/with wilderness to ambush to/for us
Those who pursued us were faster than eagles [flying] in the sky. Even if we fled to the mountains or hid in the desert, they [went there ahead of us and] waited [to attack] us.
20 spirit: breath face: nose our anointed LORD to capture in/on/with pit their which to say in/on/with shadow his to live in/on/with nation
[Our king, ] whom Yahweh appointed, was the one who enabled us to remain alive [MTY]; he was the one whom we trusted to protect us [IDM] from [the armies of] other nations. But he was [captured] [like animals are] [MET] caught in a pit.
21 to rejoice and to rejoice daughter Edom (to dwell *Q(K)*) in/on/with land: country/planet Uz also upon you to pass cup be drunk and to uncover
You people of [IDM] Edom and Uz, [you may] be happy [about what is happening to us now], but [Yahweh] will be punishing [MTY] you [also]. You will become drunk and will be ashamed [because your enemies] will have stripped off your clothes.
22 to finish iniquity: crime your daughter Zion not to add: again to/for to reveal: remove you to reckon: punish iniquity: crime your daughter Edom to reveal: reveal upon sin your
You [people of] [APO] Jerusalem, the time of your being punished will end; Yahweh will not allow you to continue to live in (exile/foreign countries). But [you people of] [APO] Edom, Yahweh will punish [you]; he will reveal the wicked things that you have done.
