Lamentationes 4
1 ALEPH. Quomodo obscuratum est aurum, mutatus est color optimus, dispersi sunt lapides sanctuarii in capite omnium platearum.
[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].
2 BETH. Filii Sion inclyti, et amicti auro primo: quomodo reputati sunt in vasa testea, opus manuum figuli?
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.
3 GHIMEL. Sed et lamiæ nudaverunt mammam, lactaverunt catulos suos: filia populi mei crudelis, quasi struthio in deserto.
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].
4 DALETH. Adhæsit lingua lactentis ad palatum eius in siti: parvuli petierunt panem, et non erat qui frangeret eis.
[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].
5 HE. Qui vescebantur voluptuose, interierunt in viis: qui nutriebantur in croceis, amplexati sunt stercora.
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].
6 VAU. Et maior effecta est iniquitas filiæ populi mei peccato Sodomorum, quæ subversa est in momento, et non ceperunt in ea manus.
[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.
7 ZAIN. Candidiores Nazaræi eius nive, nitidiores lacte, rubicundiores ebore antiquo, sapphiro pulchriores.
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].
8 HETH. Denigrata est super carbones facies eorum, et non sunt cogniti in plateis: adhæsit cutis eorum ossibus: aruit, et facta est quasi lignum.
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].
9 TETH. Melius fuit occisis gladio, quam interfectis fame: quoniam isti extabuerunt consumpti a sterilitate terræ.
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.
10 IOD. Manus mulierum misericordium coxerunt filios suos: facti sunt cibus earum in contritione filiæ populi mei.
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].
11 CAPH. Complevit Dominus furorem suum, effudit iram indignationis suæ: et succendit ignem in Sion, et devoravit fundamenta eius.
Yahweh has shown that he was extremely angry; [it is as though] he started/ignited a fire in Jerusalem that burned everything to ashes.
12 LAMED. Non crediderunt reges terræ, et universi habitatores orbis, quoniam ingrederetur hostis et inimicus per portas Ierusalem:
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 MEM. Propter peccata prophetarum eius, et iniquitates sacerdotum eius, qui effuderunt in medio eius sanguinem iustorum.
[But that is what happened]; it happened because the prophets sinned; and the priests [also] sinned by causing innocent people to be executed [MTY].
14 NUN. Erraverunt cæci in plateis, polluti sunt in sanguine: cumque non possent, tenuerunt lacinias suas.
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].
15 SAMECH. Recedite polluti, clamaverunt eis: recedite, abite, nolite tangere: iurgati quippe sunt, et commoti dixerunt inter Gentes: Non addet ultra ut habitet in eis.
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!”
16 PHE. Facies Domini divisit eos, non addet ut respiciat eos: facies sacerdotum non erubuerunt, neque senum miserti sunt.
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
17 AIN. Cum adhuc subsisteremus, defecerunt oculi nostri ad auxilium nostrum vanum, cum respiceremus attenti ad gentem, quæ salvare non poterat.
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].
18 SADE. Lubricaverunt vestigia nostra in itinere platearum nostrarum, appropinquavit finis noster: completi sunt dies nostri, quia venit finis noster.
[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.
19 COPH. Velociores fuerunt persecutores nostri aquilis cæli: super montes persecuti sunt nos, in deserto insidiati sunt nobis.
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.
20 RES. Spiritus oris nostri Christus Dominus captus est in peccatis nostris: cui diximus: In umbra tua vivemus in Gentibus.
[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.
21 SIN. Gaude, et lætare filia Edom, quæ habitas in Terra Hus: ad te quoque perveniet calix, inebriaberis, atque nudaberis.
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.
22 THAU. Completa est iniquitas tua filia Sion, non addet ultra ut transmigret te: visitavit iniquitatem tuam filia Edom, discooperuit peccata tua.
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.
