Tangilāulau 4
1 Hono ʻikai kuo hoko ʻo nenefu ʻae koula! Hono ʻikai liliu ʻae fungani koula! ʻAe ngaahi maka ʻoe potu tapu kuo lilingi ʻi he muʻa hala kotoa pē.
[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 ʻAe ngaahi foha mahuʻinga ʻo Saione, ʻaia ʻoku tatau mo e fungani koula, ʻoku fēfē ʻae lau ʻakinautolu ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi ipu kelekele, ʻae ngāue ʻae tufunga ngaohi ipu!
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 ʻIo, naʻa mo e ngaahi ika lalahi ʻoe tahi ʻoku nau ʻatu ʻae huhu ʻonau fakahuhu honau ʻuhiki: ka kuo hoko ʻo taʻeʻofa ʻae ʻofefine ʻo hoku kakai, ʻo hangē ko e fanga ʻositalesi ʻi he toafa.
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 Ko e ʻelelo ʻoe tamasiʻi huhu ʻoku piki ki hono ʻaoʻingutu ʻi he fieinu; ʻoku kole mā ʻe he tamaiki iiki, pea ʻoku ʻikai ke tofi ʻe ha tangata kiate kinautolu.
[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 ʻAkinautolu naʻe faʻa kai lelei ʻoku nau paea ʻi he ngaahi hala: ʻakinautolu naʻe kofu kulokula ʻi heʻenau tupu hake, ʻoku fāʻufua ʻae tuʻunga ʻotoʻota.
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 He ʻoku lahi ʻae tautea ki he angahala ʻae ʻofefine ʻo hoku kakai ʻi he tautea ʻoe angahala ʻa Sotoma, ʻaia naʻe fulihi ʻo hangē ʻi ha kemo pe taha pea naʻe ʻikai faʻa ala ʻae nima ki ai.
[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 Naʻe maʻa lahi hake ʻa hono houʻeiki ʻi he ʻuha hinehina, nau nau hinehina lahi ʻi he huʻahuhu, ko honau sino naʻe kula lahi ʻi he ngaahi lupi, ko honau ngingila naʻe hangē ko e safaia.
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 ʻOku ʻuliʻuli honau mata ʻi he maka fefie; ʻoku ʻikai ke kei ʻiloʻi ʻakinautolu ʻi he ngaahi hala: ʻoku piki ʻa honau kili ki honau ngaahi hui, ʻoku feʻufeʻu ia, kuo hoko ia ʻo hangē ha vaʻa ʻakau.
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 ʻOku lelei ʻakinautolu ʻoku mate ʻo tāmateʻi ʻaki ʻae heletā, ʻiate kinautolu ʻoku mate ʻi he honge; he ʻoku fakaʻauʻausino ʻakinautolu ni, kuo tāmateʻi ʻi heʻenau masiva ʻi he ngaahi fua ʻoe ngoue.
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 Kuo taʻo ʻe he nima ʻoe kau fefine angaʻofa ʻenau fānau ʻanautolu: ko ʻenau meʻakai ʻakinautolu ʻi he fakaʻauha ʻoe ʻofefine ʻo hoku kakai.
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 Kuo fai ʻe he ʻEiki ʻa hono houhau; kuo ne huaʻi hono houhau vela, pea kuo ne tutu ha afi ʻi Saione, pea kuo fakaʻauha ai ʻa hono ngaahi tuʻunga.
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 Naʻe ʻikai ke meimei tui ʻae ngaahi tuʻi, mo e ngaahi kakai ʻo māmani, ʻe faʻa hū ʻae kau fili ʻi he ngaahi matapā ʻo Selūsalema.
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Ko e meʻa ʻi he angahala ʻo ʻene kau palōfita, pea mo e ngaahi hia ʻo ʻene kau taulaʻeiki, ʻaia kuo lilingi ʻae toto ʻoe kau māʻoniʻoni ʻi hono lotolotonga,
[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 Ko ia kuo nau he ʻo hangē ko e kau tangata kui ʻi he ngaahi hala, kuo nau fakaʻuliʻi ʻakinautolu ʻaki ʻae toto, ko ia naʻe ʻikai faʻa ala ʻae kakai ki honau ngaahi kofu.
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 Naʻa nau kalanga kiate kinautolu, “Mou ō!; ʻoku ʻuli ia!; ʻAlu pe, ʻAlu pe, ʻoua naʻa ala!:” ʻi heʻenau hola, mo ʻenau ʻalu hēhē, naʻa nau pehē ʻi he kakai hiteni, “ʻE ʻikai te nau kei nofo ai.”
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 Kuo fakamavahevahe ʻakinautolu ʻe he houhau ʻa Sihova; ʻe ʻikai te ne kei tokangaʻi ʻakinautolu: naʻe ʻikai te nau fakaʻapaʻapaʻi ʻae kau taulaʻeiki, naʻe ʻikai te nau tokoni ki he kau mātuʻa.
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
17 Ka koeʻuhi ko kitautolu, naʻe vaivai hotau mata ko e meʻa ʻi heʻetau tokoni vaʻinga: ʻi heʻetau leʻo kuo tau leʻo ki ha puleʻanga, ʻaia naʻe ʻikai ke faʻa lava ke fakamoʻui ʻakitautolu.
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 ʻOku nau tuli ʻi heʻetau lakaʻanga, pea ʻoku ʻikai te tau faʻa ʻalu ʻi he ngaahi hala: ʻoku ofi hotau ngataʻanga, kuo kakato hotau ngaahi ʻaho; he kuo hoko hotau ngataʻanga.
[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 ʻOku veʻe vave hotau kau fakatanga ʻi he fanga ʻikale ʻoe langi: naʻa nau tuli kitautolu ʻi he ngaahi moʻunga; naʻa nau malumu kiate kitautolu ʻi he toafa.
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 e mānava ʻa hotau avaʻi ihu, ko e pani ʻo Sihova, naʻe moʻua ʻi heʻenau ngaahi luo, ʻaia naʻa tau pehē ki ai, “ʻI heʻene maluʻi te tau moʻui ʻi he lotolotonga ʻoe hiteni.”
[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 Ke ke fiefia mo nekeneka, ʻi he fonua ko Usa; ʻe aʻu atu kiate koe foki ʻae ipu: he te ke konā koe, pea te ke fakatelefua koe.
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 Kuo kakato ʻae tautea ʻa hoʻo hia, ʻe ʻofefine ʻo Saione; ʻe ʻikai te ne toe ʻave koe ki he pōpula: ka te ne ʻaʻahi ʻa hoʻo hia, ʻe ʻofefine ʻo ʻItomi, pea te ne fakaʻilo hoʻo ngaahi angahala.
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.
