1 How the gold has become dim; the fine gold has changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion, weighed against refined gold, are counted as earthen vessels, the work of the hands of the potter!
3 Even the monsters draw out the breast to suckle their young. But the daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the infant cleaves to the roof of his mouth in thirst; the young children ask for bread; there is none broken to them.
5 Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets; those brought up in scarlet embrace refuse heaps.
6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment, with no hands to writhe over her.
7 Her Nazirites were purer than snow, whiter than milk; they were redder of body than rubies; their polishing as sapphires.
8 Their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled on their bones; it is dried up; it has become like wood.
9 Better off are the ones slain by the sword than the ones slain by hunger; for they pine away, pierced through for lack of the fruits of the fields.
10 The hands of the compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 Jehovah has fulfilled His fury; He has poured out His fierce anger, and has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has devoured its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy would have entered the gates into Jerusalem.
13 For the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, shedding the blood of the just in her midst,
14 they have wandered as blind men in the streets; they are defiled with blood, so that no one could touch their clothes.
15 They cried out to them, Depart! Unclean! Depart, depart! Do not touch us! When they fled and wandered, they said among the nations, They will not continue to live there.
16 The face of Jehovah has scattered them out; He will no longer have regard for them; they did not respect the persons of the priests, nor show favor to the elders.
17 As for us, our eyes failed, watching in vain for our help; in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.
18 They have hunted our steps to keep us from going in our streets; our end was near, our days were fulfilled, for our end has come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens; they pursued us on the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was captured in their pits; of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, who lives in the land of Uz. The cup also shall pass through unto you; you shall become drunk and stripped naked.
22 The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will send you into captivity no more. He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.