Tangi 4
1 Taukiri e! tona haumarurutanga o te koura! tona putanga ketanga o te koura parakore, tino pai! Kua ringihia nga kohatu o te wahi tapu ki te ahunga mai o nga ara katoa.
[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 Ko nga tamariki a Hiona, ko nga mea papai, i rite nei ki te koura parakore, taukiri e! kua kiia ratou he haka oneone, he mea hanga na nga ringa o te kaipokepoke.
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 Ko nga kirehe mohoao nei hoki, e tukua iho ana te u e ratou, e whakangotea ana e ratou a ratou kuao: kua taikaha te tamahine a toku iwi, kua rite ki nga otereti o te koraha.
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 Piri ana te arero o te tamaiti ngote u ki te ngao o tona mangai i te hiainu: e tono ana nga kohungahunga i te taro ma ratou, heoi kahore he tangata hei whatiwhati atu ma ratou.
[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 Ko te hunga i kai i nga mea papai, kei te noho mokemoke i nga ara: ko te hunga i whakatupuria i roto i nga kakahu ngangana, kei te awhi i nga puranga paru.
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 No te mea ko te he o te tamahine a toku iwi nui atu i te hara o Horoma, i hurihia ohoreretia ra i mua, kahore hoki he ringa i u ki a ia.
[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 Ko ona rangatira pai atu i te hukarere te pokekore, ma atu hoki ratou i te waiu, puwhero ake o ratou tinana i nga rupi, orohina ake ratou ki te oro o te hapaira.
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 Mangu iho to ratou mata i tetahi ngarahu; kahore ratou e mohiotia i nga ara: piri tonu o ratou kiri ki o ratou wheua; kua memenge, kua rite ki te rakau.
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 Ko te hunga i patua e te hoari, pai ake to ratou i to te hunga i patua e te hemokai; no te mea ka honia noatia enei, ka werohia, he kore hoki no nga hua o te mara.
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 Ko nga wahine, ko te hunga aroha, kei te kohua i a ratou tamariki ki o ratou ringa: he kai era ma ratou i te wawahanga o te tamahine a toku iwi.
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 Kua whakapaua e Ihowa tona riri nui, kua ringihia mai e ia tona riri nui; kua tahuna hoki e ia he ahi ki Hiona, na reira i pau ai ona turanga.
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 Kihai i whakapono mai nga kingi o te whenua, kihai ano hoki nga tangata o te ao, tera te hoariri raua ko te hoa whawhai e tomo mai ki nga kuwaha o Hiruharama.
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 I pera ai he hara no ona poropiti, he he no ona tohunga kua whakaheke nei i nga toto o te hunga tika ki waenganui ona;
[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 E kopikopiko ana ratou ano he matapo i nga ara; kua poke ratou i te toto, te pa ai te tangata ki o ratou kakahu.
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 I karanga ratou ki a ratou; Haere atu, e poke ana; haere atu, haere atu, kei pa; i to ratou whatinga, i a ratou e atiutiu noa atu ana, i ki nga tangata i roto i nga tauiwi, Kahore he nohoanga iho mo ratou ki konei.
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 Kua wehewehea ratou e te riri o Ihowa: e kore ia e titiro ki a ratou i muri nei: kihai ratou i whakaaro ki nga kanohi o nga tohunga, kihai i manako ki nga kaumatua.
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
17 E matawaia tonu ana o tatou kanohi i tatou e titiro ana ki te awhina tekateka noa mo tatou: i a tatou e tiaki atu ana, i whanga noa tatou ki te iwi e kore e whakaora.
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 E whaia ana e ratou o tatou hikoinga, te haere ai tatou i o tatou waharoa: kua tata to tatou whakamutunga, kua rite o tatou ra; no te mea kua tae mai to tatou whakamutunga.
[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 Nui atu te tere o o tatou kaiwhai i to nga ekara o te rangi: i arumia tatou e ratou i runga i nga maunga; i whanga mai ano ratou ki a tatou i te koraha.
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 Ko te manawa o o tatou pongaponga, ko ta Ihowa i whakawahi ai, i mau ki roto ki a ratou rua; i ki ra tatou mona, Ma tona taumarumarunga iho ka ora ai tatou i roto i nga tauiwi.
[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 Kia hari, kia koa, e te tamahine a Eroma e noho na i te whenua o Uhu; ka tae atu ano te kapu ki a koe; ka haurangi koe, ka whakarere ano koe i ou kakahu.
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 Kua rite te whiu mo tou he, e te tamahine a Hiona; heoi ano tana whakaraunga i a koe: ka whiua e ia tou he, e te tamahine a Eroma, ka hurahia ano e ia ou hara.
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.
