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Taukiri e! tona haumarurutanga o te koura! tona putanga ketanga o te koura parakore, tino pai! Kua ringihia nga kohatu o te wahi tapu ki te ahunga mai o nga ara katoa.

Ko nga tamariki a Hiona, ko nga mea papai, i rite nei ki te koura parakore, taukiri e! kua kiia ratou he haka oneone, he mea hanga na nga ringa o te kaipokepoke.

Ko nga kirehe mohoao nei hoki, e tukua iho ana te u e ratou, e whakangotea ana e ratou a ratou kuao: kua taikaha te tamahine a toku iwi, kua rite ki nga otereti o te koraha.

Piri ana te arero o te tamaiti ngote u ki te ngao o tona mangai i te hiainu: e tono ana nga kohungahunga i te taro ma ratou, heoi kahore he tangata hei whatiwhati atu ma ratou.

Ko te hunga i kai i nga mea papai, kei te noho mokemoke i nga ara: ko te hunga i whakatupuria i roto i nga kakahu ngangana, kei te awhi i nga puranga paru.

No te mea ko te he o te tamahine a toku iwi nui atu i te hara o Horoma, i hurihia ohoreretia ra i mua, kahore hoki he ringa i u ki a ia.

Ko ona rangatira pai atu i te hukarere te pokekore, ma atu hoki ratou i te waiu, puwhero ake o ratou tinana i nga rupi, orohina ake ratou ki te oro o te hapaira.

Mangu iho to ratou mata i tetahi ngarahu; kahore ratou e mohiotia i nga ara: piri tonu o ratou kiri ki o ratou wheua; kua memenge, kua rite ki te rakau.

Ko te hunga i patua e te hoari, pai ake to ratou i to te hunga i patua e te hemokai; no te mea ka honia noatia enei, ka werohia, he kore hoki no nga hua o te mara.

10 Ko nga wahine, ko te hunga aroha, kei te kohua i a ratou tamariki ki o ratou ringa: he kai era ma ratou i te wawahanga o te tamahine a toku iwi.

11 Kua whakapaua e Ihowa tona riri nui, kua ringihia mai e ia tona riri nui; kua tahuna hoki e ia he ahi ki Hiona, na reira i pau ai ona turanga.

12 Kihai i whakapono mai nga kingi o te whenua, kihai ano hoki nga tangata o te ao, tera te hoariri raua ko te hoa whawhai e tomo mai ki nga kuwaha o Hiruharama.

13 I pera ai he hara no ona poropiti, he he no ona tohunga kua whakaheke nei i nga toto o te hunga tika ki waenganui ona;

14 E kopikopiko ana ratou ano he matapo i nga ara; kua poke ratou i te toto, te pa ai te tangata ki o ratou kakahu.

15 I karanga ratou ki a ratou; Haere atu, e poke ana; haere atu, haere atu, kei pa; i to ratou whatinga, i a ratou e atiutiu noa atu ana, i ki nga tangata i roto i nga tauiwi, Kahore he nohoanga iho mo ratou ki konei.

16 Kua wehewehea ratou e te riri o Ihowa: e kore ia e titiro ki a ratou i muri nei: kihai ratou i whakaaro ki nga kanohi o nga tohunga, kihai i manako ki nga kaumatua.

17 E matawaia tonu ana o tatou kanohi i tatou e titiro ana ki te awhina tekateka noa mo tatou: i a tatou e tiaki atu ana, i whanga noa tatou ki te iwi e kore e whakaora.

18 E whaia ana e ratou o tatou hikoinga, te haere ai tatou i o tatou waharoa: kua tata to tatou whakamutunga, kua rite o tatou ra; no te mea kua tae mai to tatou whakamutunga.

19 Nui atu te tere o o tatou kaiwhai i to nga ekara o te rangi: i arumia tatou e ratou i runga i nga maunga; i whanga mai ano ratou ki a tatou i te koraha.

20 Ko te manawa o o tatou pongaponga, ko ta Ihowa i whakawahi ai, i mau ki roto ki a ratou rua; i ki ra tatou mona, Ma tona taumarumarunga iho ka ora ai tatou i roto i nga tauiwi.

21 Kia hari, kia koa, e te tamahine a Eroma e noho na i te whenua o Uhu; ka tae atu ano te kapu ki a koe; ka haurangi koe, ka whakarere ano koe i ou kakahu.

22 Kua rite te whiu mo tou he, e te tamahine a Hiona; heoi ano tana whakaraunga i a koe: ka whiua e ia tou he, e te tamahine a Eroma, ka hurahia ano e ia ou hara.

[a]How the gold has lost its luster,
    the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
    at every street corner.(A)

How the precious children of Zion,(B)
    once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
    the work of a potter’s hands!

Even jackals offer their breasts
    to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
    like ostriches in the desert.(C)

Because of thirst(D) the infant’s tongue
    sticks to the roof of its mouth;(E)
the children beg for bread,
    but no one gives it to them.(F)

Those who once ate delicacies
    are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple(G)
    now lie on ash heaps.(H)

The punishment of my people
    is greater than that of Sodom,(I)
which was overthrown in a moment
    without a hand turned to help her.

Their princes were brighter than snow
    and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
    their appearance like lapis lazuli.

But now they are blacker(J) than soot;
    they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;(K)
    it has become as dry as a stick.

Those killed by the sword are better off
    than those who die of famine;(L)
racked with hunger, they waste away
    for lack of food from the field.(M)

10 With their own hands compassionate women
    have cooked their own children,(N)
who became their food
    when my people were destroyed.

11 The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;(O)
    he has poured out(P) his fierce anger.(Q)
He kindled a fire(R) in Zion
    that consumed her foundations.(S)

12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
    nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
    the gates of Jerusalem.(T)

13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
    and the iniquities of her priests,(U)
who shed within her
    the blood(V) of the righteous.

14 Now they grope through the streets
    as if they were blind.(W)
They are so defiled with blood(X)
    that no one dares to touch their garments.

15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
    “Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander(Y) about,
    people among the nations say,
    “They can stay here no longer.”(Z)

16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
    he no longer watches over them.(AA)
The priests are shown no honor,
    the elders(AB) no favor.(AC)

17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
    looking in vain(AD) for help;(AE)
from our towers we watched
    for a nation(AF) that could not save us.

18 People stalked us at every step,
    so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
    for our end had come.(AG)

19 Our pursuers were swifter
    than eagles(AH) in the sky;
they chased us(AI) over the mountains
    and lay in wait for us in the desert.(AJ)

20 The Lord’s anointed,(AK) our very life breath,
    was caught in their traps.(AL)
We thought that under his shadow(AM)
    we would live among the nations.

21 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
    you who live in the land of Uz.(AN)
But to you also the cup(AO) will be passed;
    you will be drunk and stripped naked.(AP)

22 Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;(AQ)
    he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
    and expose your wickedness.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 4:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.