< איכה 4 >

איכה יועם זהב ישנא הכתם הטוב תשתפכנה אבני קדש בראש כל חוצות 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].
בני ציון היקרים המסלאים בפז--איכה נחשבו לנבלי חרש מעשה ידי יוצר 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.
גם תנין (תנים) חלצו שד היניקו גוריהן בת עמי לאכזר כי ענים (כיענים) במדבר 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].
דבק לשון יונק אל חכו בצמא עוללים שאלו לחם פרש אין להם 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].
האכלים למעדנים נשמו בחוצות האמנים עלי תולע חבקו אשפתות 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].
ויגדל עון בת עמי מחטאת סדם ההפוכה כמו רגע ולא חלו בה ידים 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.
זכו נזיריה משלג צחו מחלב אדמו עצם מפנינים ספיר גזרתם 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].
חשך משחור תארם לא נכרו בחוצות צפד עורם על עצמם יבש היה כעץ 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].
טובים היו חללי חרב מחללי רעב שהם יזבו מדקרים מתנובת שדי 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.
ידי נשים רחמניות--בשלו ילדיהן היו לברות למו בשבר בת עמי 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].
כלה יהוה את חמתו שפך חרון אפו ויצת אש בציון ותאכל יסדתיה 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.
לא האמינו מלכי ארץ וכל (כל) ישבי תבל כי יבא צר ואויב בשערי ירושלם 12
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
מחטאות נביאיה עונת כהניה השפכים בקרבה דם צדיקים 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].
נעו עורים בחוצות נגאלו בדם בלא יוכלו יגעו בלבשיהם 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].
סורו טמא קראו למו סורו סורו אל תגעו--כי נצו גם נעו אמרו בגוים לא יוספו לגור 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!”
פני יהוה חלקם לא יוסיף להביטם פני כהנים לא נשאו זקנים (וזקנים) לא חננו 16
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
עודינה (עודינו) תכלינה עינינו אל עזרתנו הבל בצפיתנו צפינו אל גוי לא יושע 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].
צדו צעדינו מלכת ברחבתינו קרב קצנו מלאו ימינו כי בא קצנו 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.
קלים היו רדפינו מנשרי שמים על ההרים דלקנו במדבר ארבו לנו 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.
רוח אפינו משיח יהוה נלכד בשחיתותם אשר אמרנו בצלו נחיה בגוים 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.
שישי ושמחי בת אדום יושבתי (יושבת) בארץ עוץ גם עליך תעבר כוס--תשכרי ותתערי 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.
תם עונך בת ציון--לא יוסיף להגלותך פקד עונך בת אדום גלה על חטאתיך 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.

< איכה 4 >