Lamentations 4

Terrors of the Besieged City

א Aleph

¹How the gold has become tarnished,

the fine gold become dull!

The stones of the temple ^a lie scattered

at the head of every street. ^b

ב Beth

²Zion’s precious children —

once worth their weight in pure gold ^c —

how they are regarded as clay jars,

the work of a potter’s hands!

ג Gimel

³Even jackals offer their breasts

to nurse their young,

but my dear people have become cruel

like ostriches ^d in the wilderness.

ד Daleth

⁴The nursing baby’s tongue

clings to the roof of his mouth from thirst. ^e

Infants beg for food,

but no one gives them any.

ה He

⁵Those who used to eat delicacies

are destitute in the streets;

those who were reared in purple garments ^f

huddle in trash heaps.

ו Waw

⁶The punishment of my dear people

is greater than that of Sodom, ^g

which was overthrown in an instant

without a hand laid on it.

ז Zayin

⁷Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,

whiter than milk;

their bodies ^h were more ruddy than coral,

their appearance like lapis lazuli.

ח Cheth

⁸Now they appear darker than soot; ⁱ

they are not recognized in the streets.

Their skin has shriveled on their bones;

it has become dry like wood.

ט Teth

⁹Those slain by the sword are better off

than those slain by hunger,

who waste away, pierced with pain

because the fields lack produce.

י Yod

¹⁰The hands of compassionate women

have cooked their own children; ^j

they became their food

during the destruction of my dear people. ^k

כ Kaph

¹¹The Lord has exhausted his wrath,

poured out his burning anger;

he has ignited a fire in Zion,

and it has consumed her foundations. ^l

ל Lamed

¹²The kings of the earth

and all the world’s inhabitants did not believe

that an enemy or adversary

could enter Jerusalem’s gates. ^m

מ Mem

¹³Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets

and the iniquities of her priests,

who shed the blood of the righteous within her. ⁿ

נ Nun

¹⁴Blind, they stumbled in the streets, ^o

defiled by this blood, ^p

so that no one dared

to touch their garments.

ס Samek

¹⁵“Stay away! Unclean! ” people shouted at them.

“Away, away! Don’t touch us! ” ^q

So they wandered aimlessly. ^r

It was said among the nations,

“They can stay here no longer.”

פ Pe

¹⁶The Lord himself has scattered them;

he no longer watches over them.

The priests are not respected;

the elders find no favor.

ע Ayin

¹⁷All the while our eyes were failing

as we looked in vain for help; ^s

we watched from our towers

for a nation that would not save us.

צ Tsade

¹⁸Our steps were closely followed

so that we could not walk in our streets.

Our end approached; ^t our time ran out.

Our end had come!

ק Qoph

¹⁹Those who chased us were swifter

than eagles in the sky; ^u

they relentlessly pursued us over the mountains

and ambushed us in the wilderness.

ר Resh

²⁰The Lord’s anointed, the breath of our life, ^v,^w

was captured in their traps.

We had said about him,

“We will live under his protection among the nations.”

ׂש Sin

²¹So rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, ^x

you resident of the land of Uz! ^y

Yet the cup ^z will pass to you as well;

you will get drunk and expose yourself.

ת Taw

²²Daughter Zion, your punishment is complete;

he will not lengthen your exile. ^aa

But he will punish your iniquity, Daughter Edom,

and will expose your sins. ^ab