Lamentations 4
Christian Standard Bible
Terrors of the Besieged City
א Aleph
4 How the gold has become tarnished,
the fine gold become dull!
The stones of the temple[a] lie scattered
at the head of every street.(A)
ב Beth
2 Zion’s precious children—
once worth their weight in pure gold(B)—
how they are regarded as clay jars,
the work of a potter’s hands!
ג Gimel
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my dear people have become cruel
like ostriches(C) in the wilderness.
ד Daleth
4 The nursing baby’s tongue
clings to the roof of his mouth from thirst.(D)
Infants beg for food,
but no one gives them any.
ה He
5 Those who used to eat delicacies
are destitute in the streets;
those who were reared in purple garments(E)
huddle in trash heaps.
ו Waw
6 The punishment of my dear people
is greater than that of Sodom,(F)
which was overthrown in an instant
without a hand laid on it.
ז Zayin
7 Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,
whiter than milk;
their bodies[b] were more ruddy than coral,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
ח Cheth
8 Now they appear darker than soot;(G)
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it has become dry like wood.
ט Teth
9 Those 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
10 The hands of compassionate women
have cooked their own children;(H)
they became their food
during the destruction of my dear people.(I)
כ Kaph
11 The Lord has exhausted his wrath,
poured out his burning anger;
he has ignited a fire in Zion,
and it has consumed her foundations.(J)
ל Lamed
12 The kings of the earth
and all the world’s inhabitants did not believe
that an enemy or adversary
could enter Jerusalem’s gates.(K)
מ Mem
13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed the blood of the righteous within her.(L)
נ Nun
14 Blind, they stumbled in the streets,(M)
defiled by this blood,(N)
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!” (O)
So they wandered aimlessly.(P)
It was said among the nations,
“They can stay here no longer.”
פ Pe
16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.
The priests are not respected;
the elders find no favor.
ע Ayin
17 All the while our eyes were failing
as we looked in vain for help;(Q)
we watched from our towers
for a nation that would not save us.
צ Tsade
18 Our steps were closely followed
so that we could not walk in our streets.
Our end approached;(R) our time ran out.
Our end had come!
ק Qoph
19 Those who chased us were swifter
than eagles in the sky;(S)
they relentlessly pursued us over the mountains
and ambushed us in the wilderness.
ר Resh
20 The Lord’s anointed, the breath of our life,[c](T)
was captured in their traps.
We had said about him,
“We will live under his protection among the nations.”
שׂ Sin
21 So rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,(U)
you resident of the land of Uz!(V)
Yet the cup(W) will pass to you as well;
you will get drunk and expose yourself.
ת Taw
耶利米哀歌 4
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
抚今追昔自叹苦难难当
4 黄金怎么竟然失去光泽，纯金怎么竟然变色？
圣殿的石头都被拋弃在各街头上。
2 锡安尊贵的众民，本来和精金一样贵重；
现在怎么竟被看为瓦器，好象陶匠手中所作的呢？
3 野狗尚且用乳房哺养牠们的幼儿；
但我的众民变得多么残忍，像旷野的鸵鸟一样。
4 婴儿的舌头因干渴而紧贴上膛；
孩童求饼，却没有人分给他们。
5 那些从前吃美食的，现今都在街上孤单凄凉；
那些从前在豪奢生活中长大的，现今却在垃圾堆中打滚。
6 我众民（“我众民”原文作“我子民的女子”）的罪孽比所多玛的罪恶更大；
所多玛在转眼之间倾覆了，尽管无人攻击它。
7 锡安的贵族素来比雪更明亮，比奶更洁白；
他们的身体比红宝石更红润，他们的样貌像蓝宝石一样美丽。
8 现在他们的面貌比煤炭还黑，在街上再没有人认得他们；
他们皮包骨头，枯瘦如柴。
9 那些死于刀下的比饿死的还好；
饿死的因缺乏田间的出产，就日渐消瘦而死亡。
10 慈心的妇人亲手烹煮自己所生的孩子；
在我众民（“我众民”原文作“我子民的女子”）遭毁灭的时候，孩子竟成了母亲的食物。
11 耶和华大发震怒，倾倒他的烈怒；
他在锡安放火，吞灭了锡安的根基。
12 地上的君王，以及世上所有的居民都不相信，
会有任何敌人和仇敌攻进耶路撒冷的城门。
惩罚不义的领袖
13 因为锡安先知的罪恶，和祭司的罪孽，
就是他们在城中流了义人的血，
14 所以，他们像瞎子在街上流荡，他们被血玷污，
没有人可以触摸他们的衣服。
15 有人向他们喊叫：“走开！你们不洁的人；走开！走开！不要触摸我。”
他们到处逃亡飘流的时候，列国的人就说：“他们再不能在这里寄居。”
16 耶和华亲临（“耶和华亲临”直译作“耶和华的面”）分散他们，不再看顾他们；
人不再尊重祭司，也不厚待长老。
17 我们徒然等待帮助，等到双目失去视力；
我们在瞭望台上期望一个不能拯救我们的国家来临。
18 敌人追踪我们，使我们不敢在自己的街道上行走。
我们的结局近了，我们的日子满了；
我们的结局已经到了。
19 追赶我们的比空中的鹰还快；
他们在山上追赶我们，在旷野埋伏攻击我们。
20 耶和华所膏立的，我们鼻孔的气息，在他们的陷坑中被捉住；
我们论到他曾说：“我们要在他的荫庇之下，在列国中存活。”
以东遭报
21 以东人哪，乌斯地的居民哪，欢喜快乐吧！
这杯也要传到你那里，你必喝醉以致赤身露体。
锡安得安慰
22 锡安的居民（“居民”原文作“女子”）哪！你的刑罚已经受够了，耶和华必不再使你流亡；
以东的居民哪！他必惩罚你的罪孽，揭露你的罪恶。
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.
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