Add parallel Print Page Options

Ayin

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

Tsadhe

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

Qoph

19 Our pursuers were (E)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 (F)breath of our nostrils, the (G)anointed of Yahweh,
Was (H)captured in their pits,
Of whom we had said, “Under his (I)shadow
We shall live among the nations.”

Sin

21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of (J)Edom,
Who inhabits the land of Uz;
But the (K)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 (L)to an end, O daughter of Zion;
He will exile you no longer.
But He (M)will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom;
He will expose your sins!

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 4:17 Lit our help
  2. Lamentations 4:18 Lit full

17 Our eyes continually failed, looking for some help, but for nothing.
From our watchtower we watched for a nation that doesn’t save.

18 Our steps were tracked; we could no longer walk in our streets.
Our end had drawn near; our days were done—our end had definitely come.

19 Our hunters were faster than airborne eagles.
They chased us up the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness.

20 The Lord’s chosen one, the very breath in our lungs, was caught in their traps—
the one we used to talk about, saying, “Under his protection we will live among the nations.”

21 Rejoice and be happy, Daughter Edom, you who live in the land of Uz.
But this cup will pass over to you too. You will get drunk on it. You will be stripped naked.

22 Your punishment[a] is over, Daughter Zion; God won’t expose you anymore.
But he will attend to your punishment, Daughter Edom; he will expose your sins.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 4:22 Or iniquity