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4:1  How dark and dim the gold has become, How the pure gold has changed! The sacred stones [of the temple] are poured out and scattered At the head of every street.
4:2  The [noble and] precious sons of Zion, [Once] worth their weight in fine gold, How they are regarded [merely] as earthen jars, The work of a potter’s hands!
4:3  Even the jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has become cruel Like ostriches in the wilderness [that desert their young].
4:4  The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for food, But no one gives it to them.
4:5  Those who feasted on delicacies Are perishing in the streets; Those reared in purple [as nobles] Embrace ash heaps.
4:6  For the [punishment of the] wickedness of the daughter of my people [Jerusalem] Is greater than the [punishment for the] sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown in a moment, And no hands were turned toward her [to offer help].
4:7  Her princes were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk [in appearance]; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, Their polishing was like lapis lazuli (sapphire).
4:8  Their appearance is [now] blacker than soot [because of the prolonged famine]; They are not recognized in the streets; Their skin clings to their bones; It is withered, and it has become [dry] like wood.
4:9  Those killed with the sword Are more fortunate than those killed with hunger; For the hungry pine and ebb away, For the lack of the fruits of the field.
4:10  The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people [Judah].
4:11  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.
4:12  The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the earth, That the adversary (oppressor) and enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
4:13  Because of the sins of her [counterfeit] prophets And the wickedness of her [unfaithful] priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the just and righteous;
4:14  They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments.
4:15  People cried to them, “Go away! Unclean! Depart! Depart! Do not touch!” So they fled, then they wandered [as fugitives]; People among the nations said, “They shall not stay here any longer with us.”
4:16  The presence of the Lord scattered them [among the nations]; He will not continue to look after them. They did not honor the priests; They did not favor the elders.
4:17  [And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save.
4:18  The enemy hunted our steps, So that we could not walk in our streets; Our end drew near, Our days were finished For our end had come.
4:19  Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They pursued us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
4:20  The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord [our king], Was captured in their snares, He of whom we had said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.”
4:21  Rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, Who lives in the land of Uz. But the cup [of the wine of God’s wrath] will pass to you as well; You will become drunk and make yourself naked.
4:22  The punishment of your sin has been completed, O Daughter of Zion; The Lord will no longer send you into exile. But He will punish your sin, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.