1 H ow dark the gold has become, How the pure gold has changed! The sacred stones are poured out At the corner of every street.

2 T he precious sons of Zion, Weighed against fine gold, How they are regarded as earthen jars, The work of a potter’s hands!

3 E ven jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has become cruel Like ostriches in the wilderness.

4 T he tongue of the infant cleaves To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.

5 T hose who ate delicacies Are desolate in the streets; Those reared in purple Embrace ash pits.

6 F or the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown as in a moment, And no hands were turned toward her.

7 H er consecrated ones were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than corals, Their polishing was like lapis lazuli.

8 T heir appearance is blacker than soot, They are not recognized in the streets; Their skin is shriveled on their bones, It is withered, it has become like wood.

9 B etter are those slain with the sword Than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken For lack of the fruits of the field.

10 T he hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

11 T he Lord has accomplished His wrath, He has poured out His fierce anger; And He has kindled a fire in Zion Which has consumed its foundations.

12 T he kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

13 B ecause of the sins of her prophets And the iniquities of her priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the righteous;

14 T hey wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments.

15 “ Depart! Unclean!” they cried of themselves. “Depart, depart, do not touch!” So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, “They shall not continue to dwell with us.”

16 T he presence of the Lord has scattered them, He will not continue to regard them; They did not honor the priests, They did not favor the elders.

17 Y et our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save.

18 T hey 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.

19 O ur pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They chased us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.

20 T he breath of our nostrils, the Lord’s anointed, Was captured in their pits, Of whom we had said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.”

21 R ejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz; But the cup will come around to you as well, You will become drunk and make yourself naked.

22 T he punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. But He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins!