Lamentations 4–5

¹How is the gold become dim, Changed the best—the pure gold? Poured out are stones of the sanctuary At the head of all out-places. ²The precious sons of Zion, Who are comparable with fine gold, How have they been reckoned earthen bottles, Work of the hands of a potter. ³Even dragons have drawn out the breast, They have suckled their young ones, The daughter of my people is become cruel, Like the ostriches in a wilderness. ⁴Cleaved hath the tongue of a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they have none. ⁵Those eating of dainties have been desolate in out-places, Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills. ⁶And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as in a moment, And no hands were stayed on her. ⁷Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form. ⁸Darker than blackness hath been their visage, They have not been known in out-places, Cleaved hath their skin unto their bone, It hath withered—it hath been as wood. ⁹Better have been the pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced through, Without the increase of the field. ¹⁰The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the destruction of the daughter of my people. ¹¹Completed hath Jehovah His fury, He hath poured out the fierceness of His anger, And he kindleth a fire in Zion, And it devoureth her foundations. ¹²Believe not did the kings of earth, And any of the inhabitants of the world, That come would an adversary and enemy Into the gates of Jerusalem.

¹³Because of the sins of her prophets, The iniquities of her priests, Who are shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous, ¹⁴They have wandered naked in out-places, They have been polluted with blood, Without any being able to touch their clothing, ¹⁵‘Turn aside—unclean,’ they called to them, ‘Turn aside, turn aside, touch not,’ For they fled—yea, they have wandered, They have said among nations: ‘They do not add to sojourn.’ ¹⁶The face of Jehovah hath divided them, He doth not add to behold them, The face of priests they have not lifted up, Elders they have not favoured. ¹⁷While we exist—consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation that saveth not. ¹⁸They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, Near hath been our end, fulfilled our days, For come hath our end. ¹⁹Swifter have been our pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned after us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us. ²⁰The breath of our nostrils—the anointed of Jehovah, Hath been captured in their pits, of whom we said: ‘In his shadow we do live among nations.’

²¹Joy and rejoice, O daughter of Edom, Dwelling in the land of Uz, Even unto thee pass over doth a cup, Thou art drunk, and makest thyself naked. ²²Completed is thy iniquity, daughter of Zion, He doth not add to remove thee, He hath inspected thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He hath removed thee because of thy sins!

Chapter 5

¹Remember, O Jehovah, what hath befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach. ²Our inheritance hath been turned to strangers, Our houses to foreigners. ³Orphans we have been—without a father, our mothers are as widows. ⁴Our water for money we have drunk, Our wood for a price doth come. ⁵For our neck we have been pursued, We have laboured—there hath been no rest for us. ⁶To Egypt we have given a hand, To Asshur, to be satisfied with bread. ⁷Our fathers have sinned—they are not, We their iniquities have borne. ⁸Servants have ruled over us, A deliverer there is none from their hand. ⁹With our lives we bring in our bread, Because of the sword of the wilderness. ¹⁰Our skin as an oven hath been burning, Because of the raging of the famine. ¹¹Wives in Zion they have humbled, Virgins—in cities of Judah. ¹²Princes by their hand have been hanged, The faces of elders have not been honoured. ¹³Young men to grind they have taken, And youths with wood have stumbled. ¹⁴The aged from the gate have ceased, Young men from their song. ¹⁵Ceased hath the joy of our heart, Turned to mourning hath been our dancing. ¹⁶Fallen hath the crown from our head, Woe is now to us, for we have sinned.

¹⁷For this hath our heart been sick, For these have our eyes been dim. ¹⁸For the mount of Zion—that is desolate, Foxes have gone up on it. ¹⁹Thou, O Jehovah, to the age remainest, Thy throne to generation and generation. ²⁰Why for ever dost Thou forget us? Thou forsakest us for length of days! ²¹Turn us back, O Jehovah, unto Thee, And we turn back, renew our days as of old. ²²For hast Thou utterly rejected us? Thou hast been wroth against us—exceedingly?

Chapter 1