¹⁰ For it was an act worthy [of God] and fitting [to the divine nature] that He, for Whose sake and by Whom all things have their existence, in bringing many sons into glory, should make the Pioneer of their salvation perfect [should bring to maturity the human experience necessary to be perfectly equipped for His office as High Priest] through suffering.

¹¹ For both He Who sanctifies [making men holy] and those who are sanctified all have one [Father]. For this reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren;

¹² For He says, I will declare Your [the Father’s] name to My brethren; in the midst of the [worshiping] congregation I will sing hymns of praise to You.^(A)

¹³ And again He says, My trust and assured reliance and confident hope shall be fixed in Him. And yet again, Here I am, I and the children whom God has given Me.^(B)

¹⁴ Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—

¹⁵ And also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives.

¹⁶ For, as we all know, He [Christ] did not take hold of angels [^[a]the fallen angels, to give them a helping and delivering hand], but He did take hold of [^[b]the fallen] descendants of Abraham [to reach out to them a helping and delivering hand].^(C)

¹⁷ So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God, to make atonement and propitiation for the people’s sins.

¹⁸ For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] ^[c]to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering].

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4 How the gold has become dim! How the most pure gold has changed! The hallowed stones [of the temple] are poured out at the head of every street.

² The noble and precious sons of Zion, [once] worth their weight in fine gold—how they are esteemed [merely] as earthen pots or pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!^(A)

³ Even the jackals draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones, but the daughter of my people has become cruel like ostriches in the wilderness [that desert their young].

⁴ The tongue of the nursing babe cleaves to the roof of its mouth because of thirst; the young children beg for food, but no one gives it to them.

⁵ Those who feasted on dainties are perishing in the streets; those who were brought up in purple lie cleaving to refuse and ash heaps.

⁶ For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands had come against her or been laid on her.^(B)

⁷ [In physical appearance] her princes were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk; they were more ruddy in body than rubies or corals, their shapely figures [suggested a carefully cut] sapphire.

⁸ [Prolonged famine has made] them look blacker than soot and darkness; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones; it is withered and it has become [dry] like a stick.

⁹ Those who are slain with the sword are more fortunate than those who are the victims of hunger [slain by the famine]; for they [the hungry] pine and ebb away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

¹⁰ The hands of [heretofore] compassionate women have boiled their own children; they were their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people [Judah].

¹¹ The Lord has fulfilled His wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger and has kindled a fire in Zion that has consumed her foundations.

¹² The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the inhabitants of the earth, that the oppressor and enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

¹³ [But this happened] because of the sins of her [false] prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the just and righteous in the midst of her.

¹⁴ [The false prophets and priests] wandered [staggering] in the streets as if blind; they had so polluted themselves with blood it was not [lawful] for men to touch their garments.

¹⁵ [People] cried to them, Go away! Unclean! Depart! Depart! Touch not! When they fled away, then they wandered [as fugitives]; men said among the nations, They shall not stay here any longer.

¹⁶ The anger of the Lord has scattered [and divided them among the nations]; He will no longer look after them. They did not respect the persons of the priests; they did not favor the elders.

¹⁷ As for us, our eyes yet failed and wasted away in looking for our worthless help. In our watching [on our watchtower] we have watched and waited expectantly for a nation [Egypt or some other one to come to our rescue] that could not save us.^(C)

¹⁸ [The missiles of the enemy] dog our steps, so that we cannot go into our streets; our end is near, our days are fulfilled—yes, our end has come.

¹⁹ Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky; they pursued us on the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

²⁰ The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord [our king], was taken in their snares—he of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.

²¹ Rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. But the cup [of the wine of God’s wrath] also shall pass to you; you shall become drunk and make yourself naked.^(D)

²² The punishment of your iniquity will be accomplished and completed, O Daughter of Zion; [the Lord] will no more carry you away or keep you in exile. But He will inspect and punish your iniquity and guilt, O Daughter of Edom; He will uncover your sins.^(E)

5 O Lord, [earnestly] remember what has come upon us! Look down and see our reproach (our national disgrace)!

² Our inheritance has fallen over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.

³ We have become orphans and fatherless; our mothers are like widows.

⁴ We have had to pay money to drink the water that belongs to us; our [own] wood is sold to us.

⁵ Our pursuers are upon our necks [like a yoke]; we are weary and are allowed no rest.

⁶ We have given the hand [as a pledge of fidelity and submission] to the Egyptians and to the Assyrians [merely] to get food to satisfy [our hunger].

⁷ Our fathers sinned and are no more, and ^[a]we have borne their iniquities.^(F)

⁸ Servants and slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us out of their hands.^(G)

⁹ We get our bread at the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness [the wild Arabs, who may attack if we venture into the fields to reap our harvests].

¹⁰ Our skin glows and is parched as from [the heat of] an oven because of the burning heat of [the fever of] famine.

¹¹ They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah.

¹² They hung princes by their hands; the persons of elders were not respected.

¹³ Young men carried millstones, and boys fell [staggering] under [burdens of] wood.

¹⁴ The elders have ceased from [congregating at] the city’s gate, the young men from their music.

¹⁵ Ceased is the joy of our hearts; our dancing has turned into mourning.

¹⁶ The crown has fallen from our head [our honor is brought to the dust]! Woe to us, for we have sinned!

¹⁷ Because of this our hearts are faint and sick; because of these things our eyes are dim and see darkly.

¹⁸ As for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, the jackals prowl over it!

¹⁹ But You, O Lord, remain and reign forever; Your throne endures from generation to [all] generations.

²⁰ Why do You forget us forever? Why do You forsake us so long?

²¹ Turn us to Yourself, O Lord, and we shall be turned and restored! Renew our days as of old!—

²² Or have You utterly rejected us? ^[b]Or are You exceedingly angry with us [still]?