Lamentations 4
1 The gold has become tarnished; how the purest gold has changed! The holy stones are scattered at the corner of every street.
怎麼! 黃金竟暗淡無光，純金竟變了色! 聖所的石頭都散亂在街頭!
2 The precious sons of Zion were worth their weight in pure gold, but now they are worth no more than clay jars, the work of the potter's hands!
熙雍的子女，原比純金尊貴，怎麼現在竟被看作瓦器，被看作陶人的出品!
3 Even the jackals offer the breast to nurse their cubs, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the desert.
豺狼尚且露出乳房，哺養自己的幼兒；我的女兒──人民，竟然殘暴不仁，好似曠野中的鴕鳥!
4 The tongue of the nursing baby sticks to the roof of his mouth by thirst; the children ask for food, but there is none for them.
嬰兒的舌頭，乾渴得緊貼上顎；幼童飢餓求食，卻無人分給他們。
5 Those who used to feast on the finest food now starve in the streets. Those who were brought up wearing scarlet clothing now lie on piles of ashes.
昔日飽享山珍海味，今日竟餓死街頭；一向衣飾華麗，而今卻滿身糞土。
6 The punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment and no hands were wrung for her.
我的女兒──人民的罪罰，比索多瑪的還重，索多瑪頃刻間傾覆了，並非假手於人。
7 Her leaders were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, their form was like sapphire.
昔日，她的少年，比雪還潔白，比乳還皎潔；他們的皮膚，比珊瑚還紅潤，他們的身體好似一片青玉。
8 Their appearance now is darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as wood.
而今，他們的容貌，比炭還黑，在街上已辨認不出，皮包骨頭，枯瘦如柴；
9 Those who have been killed by the sword were happier than those killed by hunger, who wasted away, pierced by the lack of any harvest from the field.
死於刀下的，比死於饑餓的，即因缺乏田產，日漸衰弱而死的，更為幸運。
10 The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the time when the daughter of my people was being destroyed.
柔情的婦女竟要親手烹食自己的子女；在我的女兒──人民遭受浩劫時，子女竟成了母親的食物。
11 Yahweh showed all his wrath; he poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.
上主大發震怒，傾洩了他的怒火，火燒熙雍，焚毀了他的基礎。
12 The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the inhabitants of the world believe, that enemies or opponents could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
地上的君王和世上的居民，誰也不相信：仇敵能進入耶路撒冷的城門。
13 This happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests who have shed the blood of the righteous in her midst.
這是由於她先知們的罪惡，和她司祭們的過犯：他們在城中心，傾流了義人的血；
14 They wandered, blind, through the streets. They were so defiled by that blood that no one was allowed to touch their clothes.
他們身染血污，像瞎子一樣，徘徊街頭，叫人不能觸摸他們的衣服。「
15 “Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they wandered about; people said among the nations, “They can stay here no longer.”
不潔! 退避! 」人們喊說：「退避! 不可接近! 」如果他們逃亡，漂流異邦，異邦人又說：「不要讓他們留居此地。」
16 Yahweh himself scattered them; he does not watch over them anymore. They do not honor the priests, and they did not show any favor to the elders.
上主的怒容驅散他們，不再垂顧他們；人也不再尊敬司祭，不再敬重長老。
17 Our eyes failed, looking in vain for help; from our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us.
我們還在望眼欲穿，幻想著我們的救援；我們仍在瞭望台上，期望著那不能施救的異邦。
18 They followed our steps, we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near and our days were numbered, our end had come.
敵人正在追蹤我們的足跡，阻止我們在街上行走；我們的結局已近，我們的日子已滿；的確，我們的終期已到。
19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the sky. They chased us to the mountains and lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
追捕我們的人，比凌空的飛鳥還要快速；他們在山上搜索我們，在曠野裏窺伺我們。
20 The breath in our nostrils—Yahweh's anointed one—he was the one who was captured in their pits; of whom it was said, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”
連我們的氣息──上主的受傅者，也落在他們的陷阱中：我們原希望在他的福蔭下，生活在異邦人中。
21 Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom, you who live in the land of Uz. But to you also the cup will be passed; you will be drunk and strip yourself naked.
住在胡茲地的厄東女郎! 你歡欣喜樂罷! 苦爵也要輪到你喝，你將要醉倒，而赤身裸體。
22 Daughter of Zion, your punishment will come to an end; he will not extend your exile. But daughter of Edom, he will punish; he will uncover your sins.
熙雍女郎! 你的罪債已經償還，上主不再使你流徙；厄東女郎! 他必要懲罰你的過犯，揭露你的罪惡。
