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].
A la briyans lò a vin bese! Lò pi a pa menm ankò! Wòch tanp yo vide deyò nan tout kwen lari.
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.
Pyè presye a fis a Sion yo; ki gen valè kon lò fen, gade kijan yo konsidere kon veso tè, travay a potye a!
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].
Menm chen mawon yo konn bay tete; yo kite pitit yo souse yo. Men fi a pèp mwen an te vin mechan kon yon otrich nan dezè.
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].
Lang a ti bebe a kole nan fon bouch yo, tèlman yo swaf; ti piti yo mande pen, men pèsòn pa kase bay yo.
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].
Sila ki te konn manje ti manje delika yo, vin abandone nan lari. Sila ki te leve nan abiman an mov yo ap degaje yo chèche kaka bèf.
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.
Paske inikite a fi a pèp mwen an pi gwo ke peche Sodome, ki te boulvèse nan yon moman, san pa t gen men ki boulvèse l.
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].
Prens li yo te pi pwòp ke lanèj. Yo te pi blan ke lèt. Yo te pi wouj pase koray. Yo te poli tankou pyè safì.
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].
Aparans yo koulye a pi nwa ke poud chabon. Yo pa menm rekonèt yo nan lari. Chè yo vin kole sou zo yo. Li fennen nèt. Li vin tankou bwa.
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.
Pi bon se sila ki te touye ak nepe yo, ke sila ki touye ak grangou yo; paske yo vin chagren e epwize akoz mank fwi chan an.
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].
Men a fanm ki te konn plen konpasyon yo te bouyi pwòp pitit yo. Yo te devni manje pou yo, akoz destriksyon a fi a pèp mwen an.
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.
SENYÈ a te acheve gwo kòlè Li a. Li te vide gwo kòlè Li a. Li te limen yon dife nan Sion, ki te manje tout fondasyon Li yo.
12 None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
Wa latè yo pa t kwè, ni okenn abitan nan mond lan, ke advèsè ak ènmi an ta ka antre nan pòtay Jérusalem nan.
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].
Akoz peche a pwofèt li yo ak inikite a prèt li yo, ki te vèse nan mitan li san a moun ladwati yo.
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].
Yo egare e avèg nan lari yo. Yo te vin souye ak san, jiskaske pèsòn pa t ka manyen abiman yo.
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!”
“Sòti! Pa pwòp!” Yo te kriye a yo menm. “Sòti, sòti, pa touche!” Konsa yo te sove ale, e te mache toupatou. Pami nasyon yo, yo te di: “Yo p ap ka kontinye rete pami nou”.
16 It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
Prezans a SENYÈ a te gaye yo. Li p ap kontinye bay yo swen. Yo pa t onore prèt yo, Yo pa t respekte ansyen yo.
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].
Malgre sa, zye nou febli. Chache sekou te vin initil. Nan chache, nou te chache pou yon nasyon ki pa t ka sove.
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.
Konsa, yo te fè lachas dèyè nou jiskaske nou pa t ka mache nan lari nou yo. Lafen nou vin pwòch. Jou nou yo fin ranpli, paske dènye moman nou vin rive.
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.
Sila ki te kouri dèyè nou yo te pi vit pase èg k ap volè anlè. Yo te fè lachas sou nou nan mòn yo. Yo te kache tann anbiskad pou nou nan savann nan.
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.
Souf lè ki nan nen nou, nou menm ki onksyone de SENYÈ a, te vin kaptire nan twou fòs yo, de sila nou te konn di: “Anba lonbraj li, nou va viv pami nasyon yo”.
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.
Rejwi e fè kè kontan, O fi a Edom nan, ki rete nan peyi Uts la. Tas la va fè wonn vin jwenn ou tou. Ou va vin sou. Ou va vin toutouni.
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.
Pinisyon pou inikite nou yo fin konplete, O fi a Sion an. Li p ap ekzile nou ankò. Li va pini inikite nou an, O fi Edom an. Li va fè parèt tout peche ou yo!
