Lamentations 4
1 [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].
Haa! Golide wathimbirira, golide wosalala wasinthikiratu! Amwazamwaza miyala yokongola ya kumalo opatulika pamphambano ponse pa mzinda.
2 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.
Haa! Ana a Ziyoni amtengowapatali amene kale anali ngati golide, tsopano ali ngati miphika ya dothi, ntchito ya owumba mbiya!
3 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].
Ngakhale nkhandwe zimapereka bere kuyamwitsa ana ake, koma anthu anga asanduka ankhanza ngati nthiwatiwa mʼchipululu.
4 [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].
Lilime la mwana lakangamira kukhosi chifukwa cha ludzu, ana akupempha chakudya, koma palibe amene akuwapatsa.
5 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].
Iwo amene kale ankadya zonona akupemphetsa mʼmisewu ya mu mzinda. Iwo amene kale ankavala zokongola tsopano akugona pa phulusa.
6 [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.
Kuyipa kwa anthu anga kunali kwakukulu kuposa anthu a ku Sodomu, amene anawonongedwa mʼkamphindi kochepa popanda owathandiza.
7 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].
Akalonga ake anali owala koposa chisanu chowundana ndi oyera kuposa mkaka. Matupi awo anali ofiira kuposa miyala ya rubi, maonekedwe awo ngati miyala ya safiro.
8 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].
Koma tsopano maonekedwe awo ndi akuda kuposa mwaye; palibe angawazindikire mʼmisewu ya mu mzinda. Khungu lawo lachita makwinyamakwinya pa mafupa awo; lawuma gwaa ngati nkhuni.
9 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.
Amene anaphedwa ndi lupanga aliko bwino kuposa amene anafa ndi njala; chifukwa chosowa chakudya cha mʼmunda iwowa ankafowoka ndi njala mpaka kufa.
10 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].
Amayi achifundo afika pophika ana awo enieni, ndiwo anali chakudya chawo pamene anthu anga anali kuwonongeka.
11 Yahweh has shown that he was extremely angry; [it is as though] he started/ignited a fire in Jerusalem that burned everything to ashes.
Yehova wakwaniritsa ukali wake; wagwetsa pansi mkwiyo wake woopsa. Ndipo wayatsa moto mʼZiyoni kuti uwononge maziko ake.
12 None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
Mafumu a pa dziko lapansi sanakhulupirire, kapena wina aliyense wokhala pa dziko lonse, kuti adani kapena ankhondo akhoza kulowa pa zipata za Yerusalemu.
13 [But that is what happened]; it happened because the prophets sinned; and the priests [also] sinned by causing innocent people to be executed [MTY].
Koma izi zinachitika chifukwa cha kuchimwa kwa aneneri ake ndi mphulupulu za ansembe ake, amene ankapha anthu osalakwa pakati pawo.
14 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].
Tsopano akungoyendayenda mʼmisewu ya mu mzinda ngati anthu osaona. Iwo ndi odetsedwa kwambiri ndi magazi palibe yemwe angayerekeze nʼkukhudza komwe chovala chawo.
15 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!”
Anthu akuwafuwulira kuti, “Chokani! Inu anthu odetsedwa!” “Chokani! Chokani! Musatikhudze ife!” Akamathawa ndi kumangoyendayenda, pakati pa anthu a mitundu yonse amati, “Asakhalenso ndi ife.”
16 It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
Yehova mwini wake wawabalalitsa; Iye sakuwalabadiranso. Ansembe sakulandira ulemu, akuluakulu sakuwachitira chifundo.
17 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].
Ndiponso maso athu atopa nʼkuyangʼana, chithandizo chosabwera nʼkomwe, kuchokera pa nsanja zathu tinadikirira mtundu wa anthu umene sukanatipulumutsa.
18 [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.
Anthu ankalondola mapazi athu, choncho sitikanayenda mʼmisewu yathu mu mzinda. Chimaliziro chathu chinali pafupi, masiku athu anali owerengeka, chifukwa chimaliziro chathu chinali chitafika.
19 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.
Otilondola akuthamanga kwambiri kuposa ziwombankhanga mu mlengalenga; anatithamangitsa mpaka ku mapiri ndi kutibisalira mʼchipululu.
20 [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.
Wodzozedwa wa Yehova, mpweya wathu wotipatsa moyo, anakodwa mʼmisampha yawo. Tinaganiza kuti tidzakhala pansi pa mthunzi wake pakati pa mitundu ya anthu.
21 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.
Kondwera ndi kusangalala, mwana wamkazi wa Edomu. Iwe amene umakhala mʼdziko la Uzi. Koma iwenso chikho chidzakupeza; udzaledzera mpaka kukhala maliseche.
22 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.
Iwe mwana wamkazi wa Ziyoni, chilango chako chidzatha; Iye sadzatalikitsa nthawi yako ya ukapolo. Koma Yehova adzalanga machimo ako, iwe mwana wamkazi wa Edomu, ndi kuyika poyera mphulupulu zako.
