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Lamentations 4 - New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

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Distress of the Siege Described

4 How (A)dark the gold has become,
How the pure gold has changed!
The sacred stones are poured out
At the [a]corner of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
Weighed against fine gold,
How they are regarded as (B)earthen jars,
The work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even (C)jackals offer the breast,
They nurse their young;
But the daughter of my people has become (D)cruel
Like (E)ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The (F)tongue of the infant cleaves
To the roof of its mouth because of (G)thirst;
The little ones (H)ask for bread,
But no one breaks it for them.
5 Those who ate (I)delicacies
Are desolate in the streets;
Those [b]reared in purple
Embrace ash pits.
6 For the [c]iniquity of the daughter of my people
Is greater than the [d](J)sin of Sodom,
Which was (K)overthrown as in a moment,
And no hands were [e]turned toward her.
7 Her [f]consecrated ones were (L)purer than snow,
They were whiter than milk;
They were more ruddy in [g]body than corals,
Their polishing was like [h](M)lapis lazuli.
8 Their appearance is (N)blacker than soot,
They are not recognized in the streets;
Their (O)skin is shriveled on their bones,
It is withered, it has become like wood.
9 Better are those [i](P)slain with the sword
Than those [j]slain with hunger;
For they [k](Q)pine away, being stricken
For lack of the fruits of [l]the field.
10 The hands of compassionate women
(R)Boiled their own children;
They became (S)food for them
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The Lord has (T)accomplished His wrath,
He has poured out His fierce anger;
And He has (U)kindled a fire in Zion
Which has consumed its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
Nor did any of (V)the inhabitants of the world,
That the adversary and the enemy
Could (W)enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Because of the sins of her (X)prophets
And the iniquities of her priests,
Who have shed in her midst
The (Y)blood of the righteous;
14 They wandered, (Z)blind, in the streets;
They were defiled with (AA)blood
So that no one could touch their (AB)garments.
15 “Depart! (AC)Unclean!” [m]they cried of themselves.
“Depart, depart, do not touch!”
So they (AD)fled and wandered;
Men among the nations said,
“They shall not continue to dwell with us.”
16 The presence of the Lord has scattered them,
He will not continue to regard them;
They did not [n](AE)honor the priests,
They did not favor the elders.
17 Yet our eyes failed,
Looking for [o]help was (AF)useless;
In our watching we have watched
For a (AG)nation that could not save.
18 They (AH)hunted our steps
So that we could not walk in our streets;
Our (AI)end drew near,
Our days were [p]finished
For our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were (AJ)swifter
Than the eagles of the sky;
They chased us on the mountains,
They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
20 The (AK)breath of our nostrils, the (AL)Lord’s anointed,
Was (AM)captured in their pits,
Of whom we had said, “Under his (AN)shadow
We shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of (AO)Edom,
Who dwells in the land of Uz;
But the (AP)cup will come around to you as well,
You will become drunk and make yourself naked.
22 The punishment of your iniquity has been (AQ)completed, O daughter of Zion;
He will exile you no longer.
But He (AR)will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom;
He will expose your sins!

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 4:1 Lit head
  2. Lamentations 4:5 Lit established in crimson
  3. Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for iniquity
  4. Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for sin
  5. Lamentations 4:6 Or wrung over her
  6. Lamentations 4:7 Or Nazirites
  7. Lamentations 4:7 Lit bones
  8. Lamentations 4:7 Heb sappir
  9. Lamentations 4:9 Lit pierced
  10. Lamentations 4:9 Lit pierced
  11. Lamentations 4:9 Lit flow away
  12. Lamentations 4:9 Lit my fields
  13. Lamentations 4:15 Or they (men) cried to them
  14. Lamentations 4:16 Lit lift up the faces of
  15. Lamentations 4:17 Lit our help
  16. Lamentations 4:18 Lit full

Cross references

  1. Lamentations 4:1 : Ezek 7:19-22
  2. Lamentations 4:2 : Is 30:14; Jer 19:1, 11
  3. Lamentations 4:3 : Is 13:22; 34:13
  4. Lamentations 4:3 : Is 49:15; Ezek 5:10
  5. Lamentations 4:3 : Job 39:14-17
  6. Lamentations 4:4 : Ps 22:15
  7. Lamentations 4:4 : Jer 14:3
  8. Lamentations 4:4 : Lam 2:12
  9. Lamentations 4:5 : Jer 6:2; Amos 6:3-7
  10. Lamentations 4:6 : Gen 19:24
  11. Lamentations 4:6 : Gen 19:25; Jer 20:16
  12. Lamentations 4:7 : Ps 51:7
  13. Lamentations 4:7 : Ex 24:10; Job 28:16
  14. Lamentations 4:8 : Job 30:30; Lam 5:10
  15. Lamentations 4:8 : Job 19:20; Ps 102:3-5
  16. Lamentations 4:9 : Jer 16:4
  17. Lamentations 4:9 : Lev 26:39; Ezek 24:23
  18. Lamentations 4:10 : Lev 26:29; Deut 28:57; 2 Kin 6:29; Jer 19:9; Lam 2:20; Ezek 5:10
  19. Lamentations 4:10 : Deut 28:53-55
  20. Lamentations 4:11 : Jer 7:20; Lam 2:17; Ezek 22:31
  21. Lamentations 4:11 : Deut 32:22; Jer 17:27
  22. Lamentations 4:12 : Deut 29:24
  23. Lamentations 4:12 : Jer 21:13
  24. Lamentations 4:13 : Jer 5:31; 6:13; Lam 2:14; Ezek 22:26-28
  25. Lamentations 4:13 : Jer 2:30; 26:8, 9; Matt 23:31
  26. Lamentations 4:14 : Deut 28:28, 29; Is 29:10; 56:10; 59:9, 10
  27. Lamentations 4:14 : Is 1:15
  28. Lamentations 4:14 : Jer 2:34
  29. Lamentations 4:15 : Lev 13:45, 46
  30. Lamentations 4:15 : Jer 49:5
  31. Lamentations 4:16 : Is 9:14-16; Jer 52:24-27
  32. Lamentations 4:17 : Jer 37:7; Lam 1:7
  33. Lamentations 4:17 : Ezek 29:6, 7, 16
  34. Lamentations 4:18 : Jer 16:16
  35. Lamentations 4:18 : Jer 5:31; Ezek 7:2-12; Amos 8:2
  36. Lamentations 4:19 : Is 5:26-28; 30:16, 17; Jer 4:13; Hab 1:8
  37. Lamentations 4:20 : Gen 2:7
  38. Lamentations 4:20 : 2 Sam 1:14; 19:21
  39. Lamentations 4:20 : Jer 39:5; 52:9
  40. Lamentations 4:20 : Dan 4:12
  41. Lamentations 4:21 : Ps 137:7; Jer 25:21
  42. Lamentations 4:21 : Obad 16
  43. Lamentations 4:22 : Is 40:2; Jer 33:7, 8
  44. Lamentations 4:22 : Jer 49:10; Mal 1:3, 4

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4 How is gold made dark, the best colour is changed? the stones of the saintuary be scattered in the head of all streets. (How the gold is made dark, the best colour is changed! the stones from the sanctuary be scattered at the head, or at the top, of every street.) 2 The noble sons of Zion, and clo...
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Lamentations 4 - World English Bible (WEB)

4 How the gold has become dim! The most pure gold has changed!The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold,how they are esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! 3 Even the jackals offer their br...
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Lamentations 4 - The Voice (VOICE)

4 Aaghh! The gold no longer shines; even our finest gold is changed,And precious gems from the holy place are scattered and spilled in the street. 2 But worse yet, the people themselves, the precious children of Zion, are treated like clay pots formed by a potter—Now debased and devalued, but they w...
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Lamentations 4 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

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Lamentations 4 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Punishment of Zion4 How the gold has grown dim,how the pure gold is changed!The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. 2 The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold,how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! 3 Even the jackals give the bre...
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Lamentations 4 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

The Punishment of Zion4 How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed!The sacred stones lie scattered at the head of every street. 2 The precious children of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold—how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! 3 Even the jackals offer...
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Lamentations 4 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Punishment of Zion4 How the gold has grown dim; how the pure gold is changed!The sacred stones lie scattered at the head of every street.2 The precious children of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold—how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands!(A)3 Even the jackals offe...
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Lamentations 4 - New Living Translation (NLT)

God’s Anger Satisfied4 How the gold has lost its luster! Even the finest gold has become dull.The sacred gemstones lie scattered in the streets! 2 See how the precious children of Jerusalem,[a] worth their weight in fine gold,are now treated like pots of clay made by a common potter. 3 Even the jack...
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Lamentations 4 - New Life Version (NLV)

Jerusalem’s Sinful Leaders4 How 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. 2 The 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! 3 E...
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Lamentations 4 - New International Version (NIV)

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