< 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.
[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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
The tongue of a suckling has cleaved to his palate with thirst, Infants asked for bread, they have no dealer [of it] out.
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.
Those eating of delicacies have been desolate in out-places, Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills.
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.
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.
7 Her leaders were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, their form was like sapphire.
Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
11 Yahweh showed all his wrath; he poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Because of the sins of her prophets, The iniquities of her priests, Who are shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous,
14 They wandered, blind, through the streets. They were so defiled by that blood that no one was allowed to touch their clothes.
They have wandered naked in out-places, They have been defiled with blood, Without [any] being able to touch their clothing,
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.”
“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.”
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.
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.
17 Our eyes failed, looking in vain for help; from our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us.
While we exist—consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watchtower we have watched for a nation [that] does not save.
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.
They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, Near has been our end, fulfilled our days, For our end has come.
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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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!

< Lamentations 4 >