Lamentations 4

1 How the gold has become tarnished, the pure gold has become dull! The gems of the temple lie scattered on every street corner.

2 How 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!

3 Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.

4 The nursing infant’s tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.

5 Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets; those brought up in crimson huddle in ash heaps.

6 The punishment 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.

7 Her dignitaries were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires.

8 But 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.

9 Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.

10 The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11 The 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.

12 The 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.

13 But this was for the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst.

14 They wandered blind in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared 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.”

16 The presence of the LORD has scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no honor; the elders find no favor.

17 All 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.

18 They 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!

19 Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.

20 The 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.”

21 So 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.

22 O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.

1 ¶ How is the gold become dim! [how] is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.

2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people [is become] cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, [and] no man breaketh [it] unto them.

5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

6 For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her.

7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing [was] of sapphire:

8 Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

9 [They that be] slain with the sword are better than [they that be] slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for [want of] the fruits of the field.

10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11 The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.

12 The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

13 ¶ For the sins of her prophets, [and] the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,

14 They have wandered [as] blind [men] in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

15 They cried unto them, Depart ye; [it is] unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn [there].

16 The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

17 As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation [that] could not save [us].

18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.

21 ¶ Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.

1 How the gold is so darkened, and the fine gold is so ugly, and the stones of the sanctuary lie scattered in the front of every street!

2 The noble children of Zion, which are like unto gold, how are they now compared unto earthen pots, which a potter maketh!

3 The dragons give their breasts unto their young, and suckle them: but the daughter of my people must be unmerciful, as an ostrich in the wilderness.

4 The infant's tongue cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children cry for bread, and there is none to break it for them.

5 They that ate the sweetest things before, now languish in the streets: they that were brought up in silks before, now must lie in dung.

6 The iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, which was turned back suddenly, and there came no hand to it.

7 Their Nazarites were purer than snow, and clearer than milk; their form was redder than coral; their appearance was like sapphire.

8 But now their form is so dark with blackness, that they are not known in the streets: their skin hangeth upon their legs, and they are as thin as a log.

9 It happened unto them that were slain by the sword, that they died of hunger, that fainted, and were slain for want of the fruit of the field.

10 The most merciful women have cooked their own children, that they might eat in the affliction of the daughter of my people.

11 The LORD hath executed his fury, he hath poured out his fierce anger; he hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath consumed the foundations thereof.

12 The kings of the earth believed it not, neither all the people of the world, that the adversary and the enemy should enter into the gates of Jerusalem.

13 And it was because of the sin of their prophets, and because of the iniquity of their priests, that they shed the blood of the righteous within.

14 They went to and fro in the streets like the blind, and were stained with blood, and could not touch their garments,

15 But called unto them: Depart, ye unclean; depart, depart; touch nothing. For they were afraid of them, and fled from them: so that it was said among the heathen also, They shall not tarry long there.

16 Wherefore the anger of the LORD hath scattered them, and will not look upon them any more, because they honoured not the priests, nor showed mercy unto the elders.

17 Yet our eyes gaped at the vain help, till they were wearied at once, as we waited for a people that after all could not help us.

18 We were chased, that we should not walk in our streets. Then came our end: our days are ended, and our end is come.

19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, and lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

20 The anointed of the LORD, which was our consolation, was taken captive, when they disturbed us, whom we comforted ourselves to live under his shadow among the heathen.

21 Yea, be glad and rejoice, O daughter of Edom, which dwellest in the land of Uz: for the cup shall come upon thee also, thou also shalt be drunken and blessed;

22 But thine iniquity is ended, O daughter of Zion; he will no more suffer thee to depart: but thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish, and he will find out thy sins.