Klagesangene 4
1 Hvor gullet blir mørkt, det edleste gull forandret, de hellige stener strødd omkring ved alle gatehjørner!
[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 Sions barn, de dyrebare, like i verd med det fineste gull, hvor de er blitt aktet som lerkrukker, et verk av en pottemakers hender!
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 Endog sjakaler rekker bryst, gir sine unger die; mitt folks datter er blitt grusom som strutsen i ørkenen.
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 Diebarnets tunge henger fast ved ganen av tørst; små barn ber om brød, det er ingen som deler ut til dem,
[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 De som åt fine retter, ligger elendige på gatene; de som blev båret på skarlagen, favner møkkdynger.
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 Så blev straffen over mitt folks datter større enn straffen over Sodoma, som blev lagt i grus i et øieblikk, uten at hender blev løftet imot det.
[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 Hennes fyrster var renere enn sne, hvitere enn melk; de var rødere på legemet enn koraller; som safir var deres utseende.
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 Mørkere enn sort er nu deres utseende, de blir ikke kjent på gatene; deres hud henger ved deres ben, den er blitt tørr som tre.
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 Lykkeligere var de som blev drept ved sverd, enn de som blev drept ved hunger, de som tærtes bort og gikk til grunne av mangel på brød.
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 Ømhjertede kvinner kokte selv sine egne barn, de tjente dem til føde da mitt folks datter gikk under.
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 Herren uttømte sin harme, han utøste sin brennende vrede og tendte en ild i Sion, og den fortærte dets grunnvoller.
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 Jordens konger og alle som bodde på jorderike, trodde ikke at nogen motstander og fiende skulde komme inn gjennem Jerusalems porter.
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 For dets profeters synder, dets presters misgjerninger, de som utøste rettferdiges blod i byen, er det skjedd.
[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 De vanket omkring på gatene som blinde, tilsølt med blod, så ingen kunde røre ved deres klær.
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 Vik bort! Uren! ropte folk til dem - vik bort, vik bort, rør ikke ved oss! For de har flyktet og vanker omkring; det sies blandt folkene: De skal ikke bli her lenger!
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 Herrens åsyn har spredt dem, han ser ikke mere til dem; prester akter de ikke, over de gamle forbarmer de sig ikke.
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
17 Da det ennu stod, stirret våre matte øine forgjeves efter hjelp; på vårt vakttårn speidet vi efter et folk som ikke kunde frelse oss.
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 De lurte på våre skritt, så vi ikke kunde gå på våre gater; vår ende var kommet nær, vår tid var omme, ja, vår ende var kommet.
[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 Våre forfølgere var raskere enn himmelens ørner; på fjellene forfulgte de oss, i ørkenen lurte de på oss.
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 Vår livsånde, Herrens salvede, blev fanget i deres graver, han om hvem vi sa: I hans skygge vil vi leve blandt folkene.
[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 Fryd dig og gled dig bare, Edoms datter, du som bor i landet Us! Også til dig skal begeret komme; du skal bli drukken og klæ dig naken.
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 Din straff er til ende, Sions datter! Han vil ikke mere bortføre dig. Han vil hjemsøke dig for din misgjerning, Edoms datter, åpenbare dine synder.
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.
