| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
| 1How dark the gold has become, How the pure gold has changed! The sacred stones are poured out At the corner of every street. | 1Alas! Gold has lost its luster; pure gold loses value. Jewels are scattered on every street corner. |
| 2The precious sons of Zion, Weighed against fine gold, How they are regarded as earthen jars, The work of a potter's hands! | 2The precious sons of Zion were worth their weight in gold--Alas!--but now they are treated like broken clay pots, made by a potter. |
| 3Even jackals offer the breast, They nurse their young; But the daughter of my people has become cruel Like ostriches in the wilderness. | 3Even the jackals nurse their young at their breast, but my people are cruel, like ostriches in the desert. |
| 4The tongue of the infant cleaves To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them. | 4The infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth due to thirst; little children beg for bread, but no one gives them even a morsel. |
| 5Those who ate delicacies Are desolate in the streets; Those reared in purple Embrace ash pits. | 5Those who once feasted on delicacies are now starving to death in the streets. Those who grew up wearing expensive clothes are now dying amid garbage. |
| 6For the iniquity of the daughter of my people Is greater than the sin of Sodom, Which was overthrown as in a moment, And no hands were turned toward her. | 6The punishment of my people exceeded that of of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment with no one to help her. |
| 7Her consecrated ones were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than corals, Their polishing was like lapis lazuli. | 7Her consecrated ones were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies more ruddy than corals, their hair like lapis lazuli. |
| 8Their appearance is blacker than soot, They are not recognized in the streets; Their skin is shriveled on their bones, It is withered, it has become like wood. | 8Now their appearance is darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it is dried up, like tree bark. |
| 9Better are those slain with the sword Than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken For lack of the fruits of the field. | 9Those who died by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, those who waste away, struck down from lack of food. |
| 10The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people. | 10The hands of tenderhearted women cooked their own children, who became their food, when my people were destroyed. |
| 11The LORD has accomplished His wrath, He has poured out His fierce anger; And He has kindled a fire in Zion Which has consumed its foundations. | 11The LORD fully vented his wrath; he poured out his fierce anger. He started a fire in Zion; it consumed her foundations. |
| 12The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem. | 12Neither the kings of the earth nor the people of the lands ever thought that enemy or foe would enter the gates of Jerusalem. |
| 13Because of the sins of her prophets And the iniquities of her priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the righteous; | 13But it happened due to the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who poured out in her midst the blood of the righteous. |
| 14They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments. | 14They wander blindly through the streets, defiled by the blood they shed, while no one dares to touch their garments. |
| 15"Depart! Unclean!" they cried of themselves. "Depart, depart, do not touch!" So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, "They shall not continue to dwell with us." | 15People cry to them, "Turn away! You are unclean! Turn away! Turn away! Don't touch us!" So they have fled and wander about; but the nations say, "They may not stay here any longer." |
| 16The presence of the LORD has scattered them, He will not continue to regard them; They did not honor the priests, They did not favor the elders. | 16The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. They did not honor the priests; they did not show favor to the elders. |
| 17Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save. | 17Our eyes continually failed us as we looked in vain for help. From our watchtowers we watched for a nation that could not rescue us. |
| 18They hunted our steps So that we could not walk in our streets; Our end drew near, Our days were finished For our end had come. | 18Our enemies hunted us down at every step so that we could not walk about in our streets. Our end drew near, our days were numbered, for our end had come! |
| 19Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They chased us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness. | 19Those who pursued us were swifter than eagles in the sky. They chased us over the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness. |
| 20The breath of our nostrils, the LORD'S anointed, Was captured in their pits, Of whom we had said, "Under his shadow We shall live among the nations." | 20Our very life breath--the LORD's anointed king--was caught in their traps, of whom we thought, "Under his protection we will survive among the nations." |
| 21Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz; But the cup will come around to you as well, You will become drunk and make yourself naked. | 21Rejoice and be glad for now, O people of Edom, who reside in the land of Uz. But the cup of judgment will pass to you also; you will get drunk and take off your clothes. |
| 22The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. But He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins! | 22O people of Zion, your punishment will come to an end; he will not prolong your exile. But, O people of Edom, he will punish your sin and reveal your offenses! |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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