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Yahweh’s Wrath Spent

Aleph

How (A)dark the gold has become,
How the pure gold has changed!
The sacred stones are poured out
At the head of every street.

Beth

The precious sons of Zion,
Weighed against fine gold,
How they are regarded as (B)earthen jars,
The work of a potter’s hands!

Gimel

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.

Daleth

The (F)tongue of the nursing baby cleaves
To the roof of its mouth because of (G)thirst;
The infants (H)ask for bread,
But no one breaks it for them.

He

Those who ate (I)delicacies
Are desolate in the streets;
Those [a]reared in crimson
Embrace ash pits.

Vav

So the [b]iniquity of the daughter of my people
Is greater than the [c](J)sin of Sodom,
Which was (K)overthrown as in a moment,
And no hands [d]whirled toward her.

Zayin

Her [e]Nazirites were (L)purer than snow;
They were whiter than milk;
They were more ruddy in [f]body than corals,
Their polishing was like [g](M)lapis lazuli.

Heth

Their form 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.

Teth

Better are those (P)pierced through with the sword
Than those pierced through with hunger;
For their life (Q)flows away, being stricken
For lack of the produce of [h]the field.

Yodh

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.

Kaph

11 Yahweh has (T)spent His wrath;
He has poured out His burning anger;
And He has (U)kindled a fire in Zion
Which has devoured its foundations.

Lamedh

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.

Mem

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;

Nun

14 They wandered, (Z)blind, in the streets;
They were defiled with (AA)blood
So that no one could touch their (AB)garments.

Samekh

15 “Depart! (AC)Unclean!” [i]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 sojourn with us.”

Pe

16 The presence of Yahweh has eradicated them;
He will not continue to look at them;
They did not [j](AE)honor the priests;
They did not favor the elders.

Ayin

17 Yet our eyes were spent,
Looking for [k]help was (AF)vanity;
In our watching we have watched
For a (AG)nation that could not save.

Tsadhe

18 They (AH)hunted our steps
So that we could not walk in our open squares;
Our (AI)end drew near,
Our days were [l]finished,
For our end had come.

Qoph

19 Our pursuers were (AJ)swifter
Than the eagles of the sky;
They hotly pursued us on the mountains;
They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.

Resh

20 The (AK)breath of our nostrils, the (AL)anointed of Yahweh,
Was (AM)captured in their pits,
Of whom we had said, “Under his (AN)shadow
We shall live among the nations.”

Sin

21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of (AO)Edom,
Who inhabits the land of Uz;
But the (AP)cup will pass on to you as well;
You will become drunk and make yourself naked.

Tav

22 The punishment of your iniquity has come (AQ)to an end, 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 4:5 Lit established in crimson
  2. Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for iniquity
  3. Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for sin
  4. Lamentations 4:6 Or wrung over her
  5. Lamentations 4:7 Or dedicated ones
  6. Lamentations 4:7 Lit bones
  7. Lamentations 4:7 Heb sappir
  8. Lamentations 4:9 Lit my fields
  9. Lamentations 4:15 Or they (men) cried to them
  10. Lamentations 4:16 Lit lift up the faces of
  11. Lamentations 4:17 Lit our help
  12. Lamentations 4:18 Lit full