Lamentations Chapter 4
Bruh, the gold's looking hella dull! How'd the finest gold turn into straight-up trash? The holy stones are just scattered all over the pavement.
How 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.
The dope kids of Zion, shining like gold, now they're just seen as basic clay pots, like a craftsman’s side hustle.
The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
Even the sea animals are feeding their young, but my squad's acting cold, like those ostriches out in the wild.
Even 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. {sea...: or, sea calves}
The little ones are super thirsty, their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths; the kiddos are asking for bread, but no one’s got it.
The 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.
Those who used to feast like royalty are now just chilling in the streets; the ones raised in luxury are now down and out.
They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.
The consequences for my squad's sins are way worse than what Sodom faced, which got wrecked in an instant, with no one to step in.
For 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. {punishment of the iniquity: or, iniquity}
Her Nazarites were cleaner than snow, whiter than milk, and more vibrant than rubies, shining brighter than sapphires.
Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing {was} of sapphire:
Their faces are darker than coal; you can’t even recognize them out here. Their skin's sticking to their bones, looking like twigs.
Their 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. {blacker...: Heb. darker than blackness}
Those who get taken out by the sword are better off than those who starve; at least the latter are just fading away, missing the crops.
{They 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. {pine...: Heb. flow out}
The heartbroken moms cooked their own kids; they were their last meal during the downfall of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The Lord’s over His rage; He let loose His fierce anger and set a blaze in Zion that leveled its foundations.
The 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 kings and everyone on the planet wouldn’t believe the enemy could bust through Jerusalem’s gates.
The 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.
It's all because of the prophets' sins and the priests' mess-ups, spilling the righteous blood right in the middle of all this.
For the sins of her prophets, {and} the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her,
They’ve been wandering blind in the streets, got blood on their hands, so nobody wants to mess with their clothes.
They have wandered {as} blind {men} in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. {so...: or, in that they could not but touch}
They told them to dip; it's grim here; leave, leave, don’t touch: when they bailed, they said to the outsiders, 'We can't vibe here anymore.'
They 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}. {it...: or, ye polluted}
The Lord's anger split them apart; He ain't checking for them anymore: they didn’t show love to the priests or the elders.
The 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. {anger: or, face}
As for us, our eyes are still hunting for help that ain’t coming: we've been waiting for a nation that can’t save us.
As 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}.
They’re stalking our every step, so we can't even walk the streets: our time’s almost up, days are done; we’re at the end.
They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.
Our chasers are faster than the eagles in the sky: they hunted us on the hills and set traps in the wild.
Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.
The breath of our lives, the Lord’s chosen one, got caught in their traps, the one we thought would keep us safe among the outsiders.
The 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.
Get hyped and be happy, O daughter of Edom, living in Uz; your cup's coming too: you’ll be wasted and exposed.
Rejoice 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.
Your punishment's done, O daughter of Zion; you won’t be taken away anymore: He’ll check your wrongs, O daughter of Edom; your sins are about to be exposed.
The 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...: or, Thine iniquity} {discover...: or, carry thee captive for thy sins}