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Chapter 4

The Punishment of the Prophet and People

How the gold has become tarnished,
    how the pure gold has lost its luster!
The sacred stones lie scattered
    at every street corner.
The precious sons of Zion
    were formerly worth their weight in gold.
Now they are reckoned as no more valuable
    than clay jars fashioned by a potter.
Even jackals bare their breasts
    and nurse their young.
But the daughters of my people have become
    as cruel as ostriches[a] in the desert.

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Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 4:3 Ostriches: it was thought that ostriches did not take care of their young.

The Punishment of Zion

How the gold has grown dim;
    how the pure gold is changed!
The sacred stones lie scattered
    at the head of every street.

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)

Even the jackals offer the breast
    and nurse their young,
but my people has become cruel,
    like the ostriches in the wilderness.(B)

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