| 4:1 | How the gold has become dim! [How] changed the fine gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered At the head of every street. |
| 4:2 | The precious sons of Zion, Valuable as fine gold, How they are regarded as clay pots, The work of the hands of the potter! |
| 4:3 | Even the jackals present their breasts To nurse their young; [But] the daughter of my people [is] cruel, Like ostriches in the wilderness. |
| 4:4 | The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, [But] no one breaks [it] for them. |
| 4:5 | Those who ate delicacies Are desolate in the streets; Those who were brought up in scarlet Embrace ash heaps. |
| 4:6 | 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, With no hand to help her! |
| 4:7 | Her Nazirites were brighter than snow And whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than rubies, [Like] sapphire in their appearance. |
| 4:8 | [Now] their appearance is blacker than soot; They go unrecognized in the streets; Their skin clings to their bones, It has become as dry as wood. |
| 4:9 | [Those] slain by the sword are better off Than [those] who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken [for lack] of the fruits of the field. |
| 4:10 | The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| 4:11 | The LORD has fulfilled His fury, He has poured out His fierce anger. He kindled a fire in Zion, And it has devoured its foundations. |
| 4:12 | The kings of the earth, And all inhabitants of the world, Would not have believed That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem |
| 4:13 | Because of the sins of her prophets [And] the iniquities of her priests, Who shed in her midst The blood of the just. |
| 4:14 | They wandered blind in the streets; They have defiled themselves with blood, So that no one would touch their garments. |
| 4:15 | They cried out to them, "Go away, unclean! Go away, go away, Do not touch us!" When they fled and wandered, [Those] among the nations said, "They shall no longer dwell [here]." |
| 4:16 | The face of the LORD scattered them; He no longer regards them. [The people] do not respect the priests Nor show favor to the elders. |
| 4:17 | Still our eyes failed us, [Watching] vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation [that] could not save [us]. |
| 4:18 | They tracked our steps So that we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near; Our days were over, For our end had come. |
| 4:19 | Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness. |
| 4:20 | The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, Was caught in their pits, Of whom we said, "Under his shadow We shall live among the nations." |
| 4:21 | Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, [You] who dwell in the land of Uz! The cup shall also pass over to you And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked. |
| 4:22 | [The punishment of] your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into captivity. He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will uncover your sins! |
Lamentations 4 - New King James Version
