1 H ow 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.

How dark the gold has become! How the pure gold has changed! The stones from the house of God are poured out at the corner of every street.

2 T he precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

The sons of Zion are worth their weight in fine gold. But they are thought of as clay pots, the work of a pot-maker’s hands!

3 E ven 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 wild dogs give their breast to feed their young, but my people show no pity. They are like ostriches in the desert.

4 T he 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 roof of its mouth because of thirst. The children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them.

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

Those who ate fine foods are dying in the streets. Those who were brought up dressed in purple now lie in ashes.

6 F or 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.

For the sin of the daughter of my people is worse than the sin of Sodom, which was destroyed all at once without a hand turned to help her.

7 H er Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:

Her religious leaders were more pure than snow. They were more white than milk. Their bodies were more red than coral. They were more beautiful than sapphire.

8 T heir 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.

Now they look more black than dark ashes. No one knows who they are in the streets. Their skin has dried up on their bones. It has become as dry as wood.

9 T hey 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 are killed with the sword are better off than those killed with hunger. For they waste away, suffering because they have no fruits of the field.

10 T he hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Women who had shown loving-kindness have boiled their own children for food, because my people are destroyed.

11 T he 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 acted in His anger. He has poured out His burning anger, and has set a fire in Zion which has burned it to the ground.

12 T he 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.

The kings of the earth and all the people of the world did not believe that those who hated them could come into the gates of Jerusalem.

13 F or the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,

This was because of the sins of her men who spoke in God’s name, and the sins of her religious leaders, who killed those within her who were right and good.

14 T hey have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

They walked as blind men through the streets. They were made unclean with blood so that no one could touch their clothing.

15 T hey 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.

People cried to them, “Go away! You are unclean! Leave! Go away! Do not touch!” So they ran away and traveled from place to place. Men among the nations said, “They must not stay with us any longer.”

16 T he 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 Himself has sent them everywhere. He will not care about them any more. They did not honor the religious leaders or favor the leaders of the people.

17 A s 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.

Our eyes have become weak in looking for help that did not come. In our watching we have waited for a nation that was not able to save us.

18 T hey hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

They kept following after our steps so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end came near. Our days were finished, for our end had come.

19 O ur 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 came after us were faster than the eagles of the sky. They came after us on the mountains. They hid and waited for us in the desert.

20 T he 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.

The Lord’s chosen one, our very breath, was caught in their traps. We had said about him, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”

21 R ejoice 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 filled with joy and be glad, O people of Edom, who live in the land of Uz. But the cup will be passed to you also. You will become drunk and your shame will be seen.

22 T he 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 of your sin is completed, O people of Zion. The Lord will not keep you away any longer. But He will punish your sin, Edom. He will let your sins be seen!