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Lamentations 4
Modern English Version
Lamentations 4
Modern English Version
The Punishment of Zion
4 How the gold has become dim!
How the most fine gold has changed!
The stones of the sanctuary lie scattered
at the head of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
comparable to fine gold,
how they are esteemed as earthen pots,
the work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even the jackals offer the breast;
they nurse their young,
yet the daughter of my people has become cruel,
like ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the infant cleaves
to the roof of his mouth for thirst;
the children beg for bread,
but no one divides it for them.
5 Those who once ate delicacies
are desolate in the streets;
those who were brought up in scarlet
embrace ash heaps.
6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people
is greater than the sin of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment,
and no hands were wrung for her.
7 Her princes were purer than snow,
whiter than milk;
their bodies were more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like sapphire.
8 Their form is blacker than coal;
they are not recognized in the streets;
their skin cleaves to their bones,
it has become as dry as wood.
9 Those killed by the sword
are better off than those who die of hunger,
for they pine away,
stricken for want of the fruits of the field.
10 The hands of compassionate women
have boiled their own children;
they became their food in the destruction
of the daughter of my people.
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.
12 The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world,
would not have believed
that the adversary and the enemy could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.
13 This was for the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who poured out in her midst the blood of the righteous.
14 They wandered,
blind, in the streets;
they have defiled themselves with blood,
so that no one could touch their garments.
15 They cried out to them, “Depart! Unclean!
Depart, depart, do not touch us!”
Therefore they fled and wandered;
men among the nations said,
“They shall live with us no longer.”
16 The presence of the Lord scattered them;
He will regard them no more;
they do not respect the priests,
nor show favor to the elders.
17 Our eyes failed us,
watching vainly for help;
in our watchtowers we watched
for a nation that could not save us.
18 They tracked our steps
so that we could not walk in our streets.
Our end drew near; our days were numbered,
for our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than the eagles of the skies.
They pursued us on the mountains;
they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our life, the anointed king of the Lord,
was captured in their traps,
of whom we said, “Under his shadow
we shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
you who dwell in the land of Uz!
The cup shall also pass to you;
you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.
22 The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished;
He shall exile you no longer.
He shall punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom;
He will expose your sins!
Lamentations 4
New International Version
Lamentations 4
New International Version
4 [a]How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at every street corner.(A)
2 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!
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.(C)
4 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)
5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple(G)
now lie on ash heaps.(H)
6 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.
7 Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
8 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.
9 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.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 4:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.