Lamentations

Poems mourning the fall of Jerusalem and expressing hope in God's mercy.

Chapter 4

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.

*Why has gold lost its shine? What happened to the best gold? The sacred stones are scattered on all streets.

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!

*The valuable children of Zion, like pure gold, are seen as ordinary clay pots made by a 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.

*Even huge ocean creatures nurse their young: my people's daughter acts cruelly, like wild ostriches in the desert.

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.

*The baby's tongue sticks to the top of its mouth because it's thirsty. Young kids ask for bread, but nobody breaks it for them.

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

*Those who enjoyed fancy food are now sad in the streets: those raised in luxury now cling to garbage piles.

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.

*The punishment for my people's wrongdoing is worse than Sodom's sin, which was destroyed quickly with no one stopping it.

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:

*Her Nazarites were extremely clean, like snow. They were very white, like milk. They had a bright red color in their bodies, like rubies. Their shining was as beautiful as a sapphire stone.

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.

*Their faces are darker than coal pieces; people don't recognize them on the streets. Their skin sticks to their bones, looking dry and thin like a twig.

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.

*Those who die from sword wounds are better off than those who die from hunger. The latter waste away, suffering greatly due to a lack of food from the fields.

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.

*The sad women cooked their own kids: they ate them during the terrible time that destroyed my people's family.

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.

*The Lord has completed his wrath. He has released his intense anger and started a fire in Zion, which has destroyed its basic structures.

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.

*Kings and people around the world wouldn't believe the opponent would get into Jerusalem's gates.

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,

*Because of the wrongs done by her prophets and the wicked acts of her priests, who have spilled the blood of righteous people within 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.

*They stumbled around like blind people in the streets, they got dirty with bad deeds, making it hard for others to even touch their clothes.

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.

*They shouted, "Go away! You're unclean! Don't touch anything!" So they ran and wandered, and said to others, "They won't stay there anymore."

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.

*The Lord's anger split them apart; he won't pay attention to them anymore. They didn't respect the priests and didn't support 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.

*For us, our eyes couldn't see properly because we tried to help but it was useless. While we kept watching, we were hoping for a big strong nation to come and save us, but they couldn't.

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.

*They follow us closely so we can't walk freely in our town. Our time has run out; we're at the end. Our final moment has arrived.

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.

*Those who chase us are faster than sky birds: they chased us on the hills, they hid to catch us in the open land.

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.

*Our breath, the chosen one of God, was captured in their prisons. We said, under his protection, we will live among non-believers.

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.

*Be happy and rejoice, daughter of Edom living in the land of Uz; the cup will affect you too; you will get drunk and become bare.

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.

*The punishment for your wrongdoing is complete, daughter of Zion; you won't be taken away as a prisoner anymore. He will deal with your wrongdoing, daughter of Edom; he will uncover your mistakes.

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