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 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.

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 precious sons of Zion, Who are comparable with fine gold, How have they been reckoned earthen bottles, Work of the hands of a 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 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.

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.

Cleaved hath the tongue of a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they have none.

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 eating of dainties have been desolate in out-places, Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills.

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.

And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as a moment, And no hands were stayed 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.

Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form.

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.

Darker 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.

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.

Better have been the pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced through, Without the increase 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 merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In 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.

Completed 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.

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.

Believe 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.

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, The iniquities of her priests, Who are shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous,

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

They have wandered naked in out-places, They have been polluted with blood, Without being able to touch their clothing,

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.”

`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.'

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 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.

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.

While we exist -- consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation saveth not.

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.

They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, Near hath been our end, fulfilled our days, For come hath our end.

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.

Swifter have been our pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.

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 Jehovah, Hath been captured in their pits, of whom we said: `In his shadow we do live among 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.

Joy 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.

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!

Completed thy iniquity, daughter of Zion, He doth not add to remove thee, He hath inspected thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He hath removed because of thy sins!