1How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. (Isa 1:22; Jer 6:30; La 2:19)2The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! (Ps 19:10; Jer 19:11)3Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.4The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them. (Ps 22:15; La 2:11)5Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps. (2Sa 1:24)6For the chastisement[1] of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment[2] of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her.[3] (Ge 19:25; Mt 10:15; Lu 10:12; 2Pe 2:6; Jud 1:7)7Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form[4] was like sapphire.[5]8Now their face is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as wood. (Job 30:30; Ps 119:83; La 5:10)9Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field.10The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people. (De 28:57; 1Ki 3:26; 2Ki 6:29; Isa 49:15; Jer 19:9)11The Lord gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations. (Jer 17:27; Eze 5:13)12The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem. (Isa 52:15; Isa 53:1)13This was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous. (Jer 5:31; Jer 23:21; La 2:20)14They wandered, blind, through the streets; they were so defiled with blood that no one was able to touch their garments. (Nu 19:16; Isa 59:10)15“Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, “They shall stay with us no longer.” (Le 13:45)16The Lord himself[6] has scattered them; he will regard them no more; no honor was shown to the priests, no favor to the elders. (Isa 24:2; La 2:17; La 5:12)17Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save. (Ps 119:82; Ps 119:123; Jer 3:23; Jer 37:7)18They dogged our steps so that we could not walk in our streets; our end drew near; our days were numbered, for our end had come. (La 3:52; Eze 7:2; Eze 7:6; Am 8:2)19Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the heavens; they chased us on the mountains; they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. (2Sa 1:23; Jer 4:13; Hab 1:8)20The breath of our nostrils, the Lord’s anointed, was captured in their pits, of whom we said, “Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.” (Ge 2:7; Jud 9:15; 2Ki 25:5; La 2:9; Eze 12:13; Eze 17:20; Eze 19:4; Eze 19:8; Eze 31:6; Eze 31:17)21Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz; but to you also the cup shall pass; you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare. (Job 1:1; Jer 25:15; Jer 25:20; La 1:21)22The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished; he will keep you in exile no longer;[7] but your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish; he will uncover your sins. (Isa 40:2; Ob 1:10)
Lamentations 4
New International Version
1[1] How the gold has lost its lustre, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner.2How the precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in gold, are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter’s hands!3Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert.4Because of thirst the infant’s tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no-one gives it to them.5Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those brought up in royal purple now lie on ash heaps.6The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her.7Their princes were brighter than snow and whiter than milk, their bodies more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like lapis lazuli.8But now they are blacker than soot; they are not recognised in the streets. Their skin has shrivelled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick.9Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field.10With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food when my people were destroyed.11The Lord has given full vent to his wrath; he has poured out his fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion that consumed her foundations.12The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the peoples of the world, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem.13But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous.14Now they grope through the streets as if they were blind. They are so defiled with blood that no-one dares to touch their garments.15‘Go away! You are unclean!’ people cry to them. ‘Away! Away! Don’t touch us!’ When they flee and wander about, people among the nations say, ‘They can stay here no longer.’16The Lord himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. The priests are shown no honour, the elders no favour.17Moreover, our eyes failed, looking in vain for help; from our towers we watched for a nation that could not save us.18People stalked us at every step, so we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near, our days were numbered, for our end had come.19Our pursuers were swifter than eagles in the sky; they chased us over the mountains and lay in wait for us in the desert.20The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath, was caught in their traps. We thought that under his shadow we would live among the nations.21Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, you who live in the land of Uz. But to you also the cup will be passed; you will be drunk and stripped naked.22Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile. But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, and expose your wickedness.
Lamentations 4
King James Version
1How 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.2The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!3Even 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.4The 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.5They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.6For 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.7Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:8Their 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.9They 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.10The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.11The 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.12The 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.13For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,14They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.15They 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 .16The 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.17As 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 .18They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.19Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.20The 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.21Rejoice 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.22The 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.
Lamentations 4
New International Reader’s Version
1Look at how the gold has lost its brightness! See how dull the fine gold has become! The sacred jewels are scattered at every street corner.2The priceless children of Zion were worth their weight in gold. But now they are thought of as clay pots made by the hands of a potter.3Even wild dogs feed their young pups. But my people are as mean as ostriches in the desert.4When the babies get thirsty, their tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths. When the children beg for bread, no one gives them any.5Those who once ate fine food are dying in the streets. Those who wore royal clothes are now lying on piles of rubbish.6My people have been punished more than Sodom was. It was destroyed in a moment. No one offered it a helping hand.7Jerusalem’s princes were brighter than snow. They were whiter than milk. Their bodies were redder than rubies. They looked like lapis lazuli.8But now they are blacker than coal. No one even recognises them in the streets. Their skin is wrinkled on their bones. It has become as dry as a stick.9Those killed by swords are better off than those who die of hunger. Those who are hungry waste away to nothing. They don’t have any food from the fields.10With their own hands, loving mothers have had to cook even their own children. They ate their children when my people were destroyed.11The LORD has become very angry. He has poured out his burning anger. He started a fire in Zion. It burned its foundations.12The kings of the earth couldn’t believe what was happening. Neither could any of the peoples of the world. Enemies actually attacked and entered the gates of Jerusalem.13It happened because Jerusalem’s prophets had sinned. Her priests had done evil things. All of them spilled the blood of those who did what was right.14Now those prophets and priests have to feel their way along the streets as if they were blind. The blood of those they killed has made them ‘unclean’. So no one dares to touch their clothes.15‘Go away! You are “unclean”!’ people cry out to them. ‘Go away! Get out of here! Don’t touch us!’ So they run away and wander around. Then people among the nations say, ‘They can’t stay here anymore.’16The LORD himself has scattered them. He doesn’t watch over them anymore. No one shows the priests any respect. No one honours the elders.17And that’s not all. Our eyes grew tired. We looked for help that never came. We watched from our towers. We kept looking for a nation that couldn’t save us.18People hunted us down no matter where we went. We couldn’t even walk in our streets. Our end was near, so we only had a few days to live. Our end had come.19Those who were hunting us down were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased us over the mountains. They hid and waited for us in the desert.20Zedekiah, the LORD’s anointed king, was our last hope. But he was caught in their traps. We thought he would keep us safe. We expected to continue living among the nations.21People of Edom, be joyful. You who live in the land of Uz, be glad. But the cup of the LORD’s anger will also be passed to you. Then you will become drunk. Your clothes will be stripped off.22People of Zion, the time for you to be punished will come to an end. The LORD won’t keep you away from your land any longer. But he will punish your sin, people of Edom. He will show everyone the evil things you have done.