1 H ow 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.

How the gold has become dim! How the most pure gold has changed! The hallowed stones are poured out at the head of every street.

2 T he 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!

The noble and precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold—how they are esteemed as earthen pots or pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

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

Even the jackals draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones, but the daughter of my people has become cruel like ostriches in the wilderness.

4 T he 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.

The tongue of the nursing babe cleaves to the roof of its mouth because of thirst; the young children beg for food, but no one gives it to them.

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

Those who feasted on dainties are perishing in the streets; those who were brought up in purple lie cleaving to refuse and ash heaps.

6 F or 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.

For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands had come against her or been laid on her.

7 H er 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.

her princes were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than rubies or corals, their shapely figures sapphire.

8 N ow 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.

them look blacker than soot and darkness; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones; it is withered and it has become like a stick.

9 T hose 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.

Those who are slain with the sword are more fortunate than those who are the victims of hunger; for they pine and ebb away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

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

The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they were their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11 T he 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.

The Lord has fulfilled His wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger and has kindled a fire in Zion that has consumed her foundations.

12 T he 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.

The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the inhabitants of the earth, that the oppressor and enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

13 T his 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.

because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the just and righteous in the midst of her.

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

wandered in the streets as if blind; they had so polluted themselves with blood it was not for men to touch their garments.

15 P eople 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.”

cried to them, Go away! Unclean! Depart! Depart! Touch not! When they fled away, then they wandered; men said among the nations, They shall not stay here any longer.

16 T he 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.

The anger of the Lord has scattered; He will no longer look after them. They did not respect the persons of the priests; they did not favor the elders.

17 O ur 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.

As for us, our eyes yet failed and wasted away in looking for our worthless help. In our watching we have watched and waited expectantly for a nation that could not save us.

18 T hey 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.

dog our steps, so that we cannot go into our streets; our end is near, our days are fulfilled—yes, our end has come.

19 T hose 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.

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky; they pursued us on the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

20 T he 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.”

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their snares—he of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.

21 B e 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.

Rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. But the cup also shall pass to you; you shall become drunk and make yourself naked.

22 T he 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!

The punishment of your iniquity will be accomplished and completed, O Daughter of Zion; will no more carry you away or keep you in exile. But He will inspect and punish your iniquity and guilt, O Daughter of Edom; He will uncover your sins.