Lamentations 4

1. How the gold has become dim; the fine gold has changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street.

2. The precious sons of Zion are weighed against pure gold; how they are counted as earthen vessels, the work of a potter’s hands!

3. Even the jackals draw out the breast; they suckle their young ones. The daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

4. The infant’s tongue cleaves to the roof of his mouth in thirst; the young children ask for bread; there is no one breaking it for them.

5. Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets; those reared 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, with no hands to help her.

7. Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:

8. But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled upon their bones; it is dried up; it has become like a stick.

9. Better are the ones slain by the sword than the ones slain by hunger; for these pine away, stricken for want of the fruits of the field.

10. The hands of the women of compassion have boiled their own children; they became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11. The LORD has accomplished His fury; He has poured out His fierce anger, and has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has devoured its foundations.

12. The kings of the earth, and all the people of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy would go 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 her midst,

14. They wandered blindly through the streets; they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their clothes.

15. They cried to them, “Depart! Unclean! Depart, depart! Touch not!” Indeed, they fled away and wandered; they said among the nations, “They will not continue to live there.”

16. The face of the LORD has scattered them; He will no longer watch over them; they did not respect the persons of the priests; they were not gracious to the elders.

17. As for us, our eyes fail, for our help is vain; in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

18. They hunted our steps so that we cannot go in our streets; our end was near, our days were fulfilled, for our end has come.

19. Our persecutors were swifter than the eagles of heaven; they pursued us on the mountains, they lay in 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 nations.”

21. Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, who lives in the land of Uz. The cup also shall pass through unto you; you shall be made drunken and stripped naked.

22. The punishment of your iniquity is fulfilled, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no more. But He will punish you for your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.