耶利米哀歌 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
沦陷的耶路撒冷
4 黄金竟失去光泽，
纯金竟变色，
宝石竟被弃之街头。
2 锡安的宝贝子民本来贵如黄金，
现在竟被视为陶匠制作的瓦器！
3 豺狼尚且哺养自己的幼儿，
我的子民却像荒野的鸵鸟一样残忍无情。
4 婴儿干渴难忍，舌头紧贴上膛；
孩童乞求食物，却无人给予。
5 昔日锦衣玉食、生活奢侈的，
如今却流落街头，
躺卧在粪堆中。
6 虽然无人攻击，所多玛却在顷刻之间倾覆。
我子民比所多玛受到的惩罚更重。
7 锡安的首领曾比雪纯净，
比奶更白，
身体比红宝石更红润，
相貌美如蓝宝石。
8 现在，他们的面目比煤炭还黑，
走在街上无人认得。
他们骨瘦如柴，干如枯木。
9 死于刀下的胜过死于饥饿的，
后者因田间缺粮而活活饿死。
10 我的百姓遭毁灭时，
慈母亲手煮自己的儿女充饥。
11 耶和华大发烈怒，
倾倒祂的怒气，
在锡安燃起大火，
焚毁城的根基。
12 世上的君王和居民都不相信敌人能闯进耶路撒冷的城门。
13 这都是因为她的先知和祭司的罪行。
他们在城中杀害义人。
14 他们如盲人在街上游荡，
沾满血污，
无人敢碰他们的衣服。
15 人们向他们喊道：
“走开！你们是不洁的！
走开！走开！不要靠近我们。”
于是他们逃亡、流荡，
列国的人说：
“他们不可住在我们这里。”
16 耶和华亲自驱散他们，
不再眷顾他们；
人们不再尊重祭司，
也不再敬重长老。
17 我们望眼欲穿，
盼望援军的到来，
盼来的国家却无力拯救我们。
18 敌人步步紧逼，
使我们不敢上自己的街。
我们的结局近了，
我们的日子到头了，
我们的末日来了！
19 追赶我们的人比飞鹰更快，
他们在山上追捕我们，
在旷野伏击我们。
20 耶和华膏立的王——我们的生命之气落入他们的陷阱。
我们原希望借他的荫庇立足于列国中。
21 乌斯地区的以东人啊，
只管欢喜作乐吧！
因为盛满耶和华愤怒的杯也要传到你们那里。
你们必喝醉，以致赤身露体。
22 锡安城啊！你已经受到了应得的刑罚，
耶和华必不再使你流亡。
以东啊，耶和华要惩罚你，
揭露你的罪恶！
Lamentations 4
EasyEnglish Bible
God punishes his people[a]
4 Look! The gold has stopped shining!
Look how the best gold has changed!
The valuable stones from the Holy Place lie at the end of every street!
2 Jerusalem's men were valuable, like the best gold.[b]
Now they lie in the streets, because God has broken them.
They are like common pots that a potter makes.[c]
3 Even the jackals feed their babies at their breasts.
But Jerusalem's young women have become cruel.
They are like ostriches that leave their eggs in the desert.[d]
4 The mouths of the babies in Jerusalem are completely dry, because they are so thirsty.
And the young children ask for food, but nobody gives them anything to eat.
5 There are people here who had been very rich.
They ate the best foods, but now they are hungry.
Now they lie in the streets with nothing to eat.
They wore the best clothes, but now they sit in the ashes.
6 God has punished my people.
He punished us more than he punished Sodom's people.
God destroyed that city in a moment, and nobody was there to help them.[e]
7 In past times, the leaders of Jerusalem were more pure than very white snow.
They were strong and healthy.
Their bodies seemed to shine like valuable stones.
8 Now their faces are dirty and black.
People see them in the streets, but they do not recognize them.
Their skin hangs on their bones.
Their skin is as dry as wood for a fire.[f]
9 Our enemies have killed many people with long knives.
It is better for those dead people
than for the people who have no food.
They are very hungry.
And they die slowly because they have nothing to eat.[g]
10 Women who once were very kind
have boiled their own children.
Their children became their food,
when the enemies were destroying the city.[h]
11 The Lord was very angry.
So he sent fire to burn Zion.
It destroyed the whole city, even the strongest houses.
12 The kings in the other cities on earth could not believe it.[i]
None of the people on earth could believe it.
They thought that no enemy could go through Jerusalem's gates.
13 God punished Jerusalem and its people because their leaders sinned.
God did not like the things that their prophets and priests did.
They had caused good people to die.
14 Those leaders walked in the streets like men who cannot see.
There was blood on their clothes and everybody was afraid to touch them.
15 ‘Go away!’ people shouted at them.
‘Do not touch us!
You are too dirty to be among God's people!’
So they went away to other countries, but the people there did not want them.
‘They cannot stay here with us!’ those people said.
16 The Lord himself has sent them away.
He will not take care of them any longer.
Nobody respects the priests.
Nobody is kind to the leaders.[j]
17 Our eyes became red as we watched.
We were looking for help, but it did not come.
The people from other countries could not save us.
18 Enemies ran after us, so that we could not go into the streets any longer.
We knew that we would die soon.
We could not live like this any longer.
19 The enemy was quicker than big birds that fly in the air.
They followed us so that they could catch us out on the mountains.
They hid and they waited for us in the desert.
20 The Lord had chosen a man to be our king.
We thought that he would save us.
‘Under his shadow we will live among the other countries,’ we had always said.
But the enemy caught him.[k]
21 You, Edom's people, live in the country called Uz. And you are happy now.
But at a future time, God will hurt you too.
The enemy will take away everything that you have.
So you will become like drunks.
22 God has finished punishing Zion's people.
He will let them return to their homes soon.
But you, Edom's people, God will certainly punish you.[l]
He will discover everything that you have done wrong.
Footnotes
- 4:1 In this chapter, Jeremiah continues to speak.
- 4:2 Jerusalem's people were valuable to God, as gold is valuable. Perhaps the ‘valuable stones’ from the Holy Place were like Jerusalem's leaders and priests. Certainly the enemy had destroyed and burnt the Holy Place there. They broke the beautiful stones from its walls, and those stones were lying in the street.
- 4:2 People did not think that ordinary pots were valuable.
- 4:3 Ostriches are large birds that lay their eggs in the sand. See Job 39:14-16.
- 4:6 Sodom's people were very bad and they did not obey God. See Genesis 18:16—19:29. They all died quickly.
- 4:8 A long time ago, these leaders had been extra careful to be clean. They wanted to do what God wanted them to do. People thought that these leaders were very special. But now, they are the same as everybody else in the streets.
- 4:9 Jerusalem's people knew a lot about God, but they also did many very bad things. They died more slowly. They were in pain for a long time before they died.
- 4:10 These people had done some very bad things in the bad times when they were very sad and hungry. But God wants them to learn his ways again.
- 4:12 These other people had seen or they knew about Jerusalem's strong walls. They also knew that Jerusalem and Jerusalem's people were special to God. So they were very surprised about what happened to the city.
- 4:16 Some people were as bad as their leaders, the priests and the prophets. It was sad that good people in Jerusalem also died because of other people's sins.
- 4:20 Nobody could help them if God was against them. The king was Zedekiah. He was the last king of Judah. Jeremiah tells us about him in the other book that he wrote. (See Jeremiah 39:1-8.) Israel's people thought that their kings were very special. They thought that God had given those kings to them.
- 4:22 God will punish Edom's people because they have been cruel to God's people. Edom's people did all die. There is no country called Edom now.
Lamentations 4
King James Version
4 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.
2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
3 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.
4 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.
5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.
6 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.
7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire:
8 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.
9 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.
10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 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.
12 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.
13 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,
14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.
19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.
20 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.
21 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.
22 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.
Lamentations 4
World English Bible
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 breast.
They nurse their young ones.
But the daughter of my people has become cruel,
like the ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the nursing child clings to the roof of his mouth for thirst.
The young children ask for bread,
and no one breaks it for them.
5 Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets.
Those who were brought up in purple embrace dunghills.
6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom,
which was overthrown as in a moment.
No hands were laid on her.
7 Her nobles were purer than snow.
They were whiter than milk.
They were more ruddy in body than rubies.
Their polishing was like sapphire.
8 Their appearance is blacker than a coal.
They are not known in the streets.
Their skin clings to their bones.
It is withered.
It has become like wood.
9 Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger;
for these pine away, stricken through,
for lack of the fruits of the field.
10 The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children.
They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 Yahweh has accomplished his wrath.
He has poured out his fierce anger.
He has kindled a fire in Zion,
which has devoured its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth didn’t believe,
neither did all the inhabitants of the world,
that the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem.
13 It is because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
that have shed the blood of the just in the middle of her.
14 They wander as blind men in the streets.
They are polluted with blood,
So that men can’t touch their garments.
15 “Go away!” they cried to them.
“Unclean! Go away! Go away! Don’t touch!
When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations,
“They can’t live here any more.”
16 Yahweh’s anger has scattered them.
He will not pay attention to them any more.
They didn’t respect the persons of the priests.
They didn’t favor the elders.
17 Our eyes still fail,
looking in vain for our help.
In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.
18 They hunt our steps,
so that we can’t go in our streets.
Our end is near.
Our days are fulfilled,
for our end has come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky.
They chased us on the mountains.
They set an ambush for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our nostrils,
the anointed of Yahweh,
was taken in their pits;
of whom we said,
under his shadow we will live among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom,
who dwells in the land of Uz.
The cup will pass through to you also.
You will be drunken,
and will make yourself naked.
22 The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion.
He will no more carry you away into captivity.
He will visit your iniquity, daughter of Edom.
He will uncover your sins.
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