Lamentations 4

Modern

Literal

The Distress of Zion

¹How^a the gold has become tarnished,

the pure gold has become dull!

The gems of the temple lie scattered

on every street corner.

¹How the gold has grown dim, the pure gold has changed! The stones of holiness are poured forth at the head of every street.

²How the precious sons of Zion,

once worth their weight in pure gold,

are now esteemed as jars of clay,

the work of a potter’s hands!

²The precious sons of Zion were weighed with fine gold. How they are esteemed as pots of clay, the work of the hands of a potter!

³Even jackals^a offer their breasts

to nurse their young,

but the daughter of my people has become cruel,

like an ostrich in the wilderness.

³Even the jackals draw out the breast and suckle their young, but the daughter of my people is cruel, like ostriches in the wilderness.

⁴The nursing infant’s tongue

clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth.

Little children beg for bread,

but no one gives them any.

⁴The tongue of the sucking babe clings to the roof of its mouth in thirst; the little children ask for bread—there is no one dispersing it for them.

⁵Those who once ate delicacies

are destitute in the streets;

those brought up in crimson

huddle in ash heaps.

⁵Those once eating delicacies are desolate in the streets; those being set firmly in scarlet embrace heaps of rubbish.

⁶The punishment^a of the daughter of my people

is greater than that of Sodom,

which was overthrown in an instant

without a hand turned to help her.

⁶And the punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.

⁷Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,

whiter than milk;

their bodies were more ruddy than rubies,

their appearance^a like sapphires.^b

⁷Her princes were brighter than snow and whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in essence than rubies; their polishing was of sapphire.

⁸But now their appearance is blacker than soot;

they are not recognized in the streets.

Their skin has shriveled on their bones;

it has become as dry as a stick.

⁸Now their appearance is darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled on their bones, it has grown dry and become like wood.

⁹Those slain by the sword are better off

than those who die of hunger,

who waste away, pierced with pain

because the fields lack produce.

⁹Better are those slain by the sword than those dying of hunger, who waste away from the piercing of produce the field.

¹⁰The hands of compassionate women

have cooked their own children,

who became their food

in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

¹⁰The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became food for them in this destruction of the daughter of my people!

¹¹The LORD has exhausted His wrath;

He has poured out His fierce anger;

He has kindled a fire in Zion,

and it has consumed her foundations.

¹¹YHWH has fulfilled His fury, He has poured out the burning of His nose; He has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has devoured her foundations.

¹²The kings of the earth did not believe,

nor any people of the world,

that an enemy or a foe

could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

¹²The kings of the earth did not believe and all those dwelling in the world, that the adversary would come and the enemy into the gates of Jerusalem,

¹³But this was for the sins of her prophets

and the guilt of her priests,

who shed the blood of the righteous

in her midst.

¹³for the sins of her prophets, the iniquities of her priests, those pouring in her midst the blood of the righteous,

¹⁴They wandered blind in the streets,

defiled by this blood,

so that no one dared

to touch their garments.

¹⁴They wandered blind in the streets, they have defiled themselves with the blood, that none would be able to touch their garments.

¹⁵“Go away! Unclean!”

men shouted at them.

“Away, away! Do not touch us!”

So they fled and wandered.

Among the nations it was said,

“They can stay here no longer.”

¹⁵“Turn away! Unclean!” They called out to them. “Turn away! Turn away, do not touch us!” So they fled and wandered, they said among the nations, “They shall not continue to sojourn!”

¹⁶The presence of the LORD has scattered them;

He regards them no more.

The priests are shown no honor;

the elders find no favor.

¹⁶The face of YHWH has scattered them; He shall not continue to look on them; the faces of the priests they do not lift up, and to the elders they do not show favor.

¹⁷All the while our eyes were failing

as we looked in vain for help.

We watched from our towers

for a nation that could not save us.

¹⁷Again our eyes came to an end, for our helper in vain; in our keeping watch we watched for a nation that could not save us.

¹⁸They stalked our every step,

so that we could not walk in our streets.

Our end drew near, our time ran out,

for our end had come!

¹⁸They tracked our steps, from walking in our own streets; our end came near; our days were fulfilled, for our end had come.

¹⁹Those who chased us were swifter

than the eagles in the sky;

they pursued us over the mountains

and ambushed us in the wilderness.

¹⁹Swifter were our pursuers than the eagles of the heavens; over the mountains they were hot after us, and in the wilderness they set an ambush for us.

²⁰The LORD’s anointed, the breath of our life,

was captured in their pits.

We had said of him,

“Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”

²⁰The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of YHWH, was caught in their pits, of whom we said, “Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.”

²¹So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom,

you who dwell in the land of Uz.

Yet the cup will pass to you as well;

you will get drunk and expose yourself.

²¹Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, dwelling in the land of Uz! Even to you shall pass over the cup, and you shall become drunk and uncover yourselves!

²²O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete;

He will not prolong your exile.^a

But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom;

He will expose your sins.

²²Your guilt is complete, O daughter of Zion; He will not continue to leave you exiled. He will visit punishment on your iniquity, O daughter of Edom! He will remove the cover over your sins.