Lamentations 4

The Punishment of Jerusalem

The Prophet Speaks:

1 The purest gold is ruined

and has lost its shine;

jewels from the temple

lie scattered in the streets.

2 These are Zion’s people,

worth more than purest gold;

yet they are counted worthless

like dishes of clay.

3 Even jackals*4.3 jackals: Desert animals related to wolves, but smaller. nurse their young,

but my people are like ostriches

that abandon their own.

4 Babies are so thirsty

that their tongues are stuck

to the roof of the mouth.

Children go begging for food,

but no one gives them any.

5 All who ate expensive foods

lie starving in the streets;

those who grew up in luxury

now sit on trash heaps.

6 *Gn 19.24. My nation was punished worse

than the people of Sodom,

whose city was destroyed

in a flash without the help

of human hands.*4.6 hands: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 6.

7 The leaders of Jerusalem

were purer than snow

and whiter than milk;

their bodies were healthy

and glowed like jewels.*4.7 jewels: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 7.

8 Now they are blacker than tar,

and no one recognizes them;

their skin clings to their bones

and is drier than firewood.

9 Being killed with a sword

is better than slowly

starving to death.

10 *Dt 28.56,57;Ez 5.10. Life in the city is so bad

that loving mothers have boiled

and eaten their own children.

11 The Lord was so fiercely angry

that he burned the city of Zion

to the ground.

12 Not a king on this earth

or the people of any nation

believed enemies could break

through her gates.

13 Jerusalem was punished because

her prophets and her priests

had sinned and caused the death

of innocent victims.

14 Yes, her prophets and priests

were covered with blood;

no one would come near them,

as they wandered

from street to street.

15 Instead, everyone shouted,

"Go away! Don’t touch us!

You’re filthy and unfit

to belong to God’s people!"

So they had to leave

and become refugees.

But foreign nations told them,

"You can’t stay here!"*4.15 here: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 15.

16 The Lord is the one

who sent them scattering,

and he has forgotten them.

No respect or kindness

will be shown

to the priests or leaders.

17 Our eyes became weary,

hopelessly looking

for help from a nation*4.17 nation: Egypt, a former ally of Judah.

that could not save us.

18 Enemies hunted us down

on every public street.

Our time was up;

our doom was near.

19 They swooped down faster

than eagles from the sky.

They hunted for us in the hills

and set traps to catch us

out in the desert.

20 The Lord's chosen leader*4.20 chosen leader: Probably Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, taken away to Babylonia in 586 b.c.

was our hope for survival!

We thought he would keep us safe

somewhere among the nations,

but even he was caught

in one of their traps.

21 You people of Edom

can celebrate now!

But your time will come

to suffer and stagger

around naked.

22 The people of Zion

have paid for their sins,

and the Lord will soon

let them return home.

But, people of Edom,

you will be punished,

and your sins exposed.