Online Bible

Distress of the Siege Described

How ^adark and dim the gold has become,How the pure gold has changed!The sacred stones of the temple are poured out and scatteredAt the head of every street.2 The noble and precious sons of Zion,Once worth their weight in fine gold,How they are regarded merely as ^aearthen jars,The work of a potter’s hands! Is 30:14; Jer 19:11; 2+@Cor 4:73 Even the ^ajackals offer the breast,They nurse their young;But the daughter of my people has become ^bcruelLike ^costriches in the wilderness that desert their young.4 The ^atongue of the infant clingsTo the roof of its mouth because of ^bthirst;The little ones ^cask for food,But no one gives it to them.5 Those who feasted on ^adelicaciesAre perishing in the streets;Those reared in purple as noblesEmbrace ash heaps.6 For the punishment of the wickedness of the daughter of my people JerusalemIs greater than the punishment for the ^asin of Sodom,Which was ^boverthrown in a moment,And no hands were turned toward her to offer help. Gen 19:257 Her princes were ^apurer than snow,They were whiter than milk in appearance;They were more ruddy in body than rubies,Their polishing was like ^blapis lazuli (sapphire) .8 Their appearance is now ^ablacker than soot because of the prolonged famine;They are not recognized in the streets;Their ^bskin clings to their bones;It is withered, and it has become dry like wood.9 Those ^akilled with the swordAre more fortunate than those killed with hunger;For the hungry ^bpine and ebb away,For the lack of the fruits of the field.10 The hands of compassionate women^aBoiled their own children;They became ^bfood for themBecause of the destruction of the daughter of my people Judah.11 The LORD has ^afulfilled His wrath;He has poured out His fierce angerAnd has ^bkindled a fire in ZionThat has consumed her foundations.12 The kings of the earth did not believe,Nor did any of ^athe inhabitants of the earth,That the adversary (oppressor) and enemyCould ^benter the gates of Jerusalem.13 Because of the sins of her counterfeit ^aprophetsAnd the wickedness of her unfaithful priests,Who have shed in her midstThe ^bblood of the just and righteous;14 They wandered, ^ablind, in the streets;They were defiled with ^bbloodSo that no one could touch their ^cgarments.15 People cried to them, “Go away! ^aUnclean!Depart! Depart! Do not touch!”So they ^bfled, then they wandered as fugitives;People among the nations said,“They shall not stay here any longer with us.”16 The presence of the LORD scattered them among the nations;He will not continue to look after them.They did not ^ahonor the priests;They did not favor the elders.17 And as for us, yet our eyes failed,Looking in vain for ^ahelp.Watching from the towers we watchedFor a ^bnation that could not save. Ezek 29:1618 The enemy ^ahunted our steps,So that we could not walk in our streets;Our ^bend drew near,Our days were finishedFor our end had come.19 Our pursuers were ^aswifterThan the eagles of the sky;They pursued us on the mountains,They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.20 The ^abreath of our nostrils, the anointed of the ^bLORD our king,Was ^ccaptured in their snares,He of whom we had said, “Under his ^dshadowWe shall live among the nations.”21 Rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of ^aEdom,Who lives in the land of Uz.But the ^bcup of the wine of God’s wrath will pass to you as well;You will become drunk and make yourself naked. Jer 25:1722 The punishment of your sin has been ^acompleted, O Daughter of Zion;The LORD will no longer send you into exile.But He ^bwill punish your sin, O Daughter of Edom;He will expose your sins. Ps 137:7

Yahweh’s Wrath Spent

א — Aleph

How ^adark the gold has become,How the pure gold has changed!The sacred stones are poured outAt the head of every street.

ב — Beth

2 The precious sons of Zion,Weighed against fine gold,How they are regarded as ^aearthen jars,The work of a potter’s hands!

ג — Gimel

3 Even ^ajackals offer the breast;They nurse their young;But the daughter of my people has become ^bcruelLike ^costriches in the wilderness.

ד — Daleth

4 The ^atongue of the nursing baby cleavesTo the roof of its mouth because of ^bthirst;The infants ^cask for bread,But no one breaks it for them.

ה — He

5 Those who ate ^adelicaciesAre desolate in the streets;Those ¹reared in crimsonEmbrace ash pits.

ו — Vav

6 So the ¹iniquity of the daughter of my peopleIs greater than the ²^asin of Sodom,Which was ^boverthrown as in a moment,And no hands ³whirled toward her.

ז — Zayin

7 Her ¹Nazirites were ^apurer than snow;They were whiter than milk;They were more ruddy in ²body than corals,Their polishing was like ³^blapis lazuli.

ח — Heth

8 Their form is ^ablacker than soot;They are not recognized in the streets;Their ^bskin is shriveled on their bones;It is withered, it has become like wood.

ט — Teth

9 Better are those ^apierced through with the swordThan those pierced through with hunger;For their life ^bflows away, being strickenFor lack of the produce of ¹the field.

י — Yodh

10 The hands of compassionate women^aBoiled their own children;They became ^bfood for themBecause of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

כ — Kaph

11 Yahweh has ^aspent His wrath;He has poured out His burning anger;And He has ^bkindled a fire in ZionWhich has devoured its foundations.

ל — Lamedh

12 The kings of the earth did not believe,Nor did any of ^athe inhabitants of the world,That the adversary and the enemyCould ^benter the gates of Jerusalem.

מ — Mem

13 Because of the sins of her ^aprophetsAnd the iniquities of her priests,Who have shed in her midstThe ^bblood of the righteous;

נ — Nun

14 They wandered, ^ablind, in the streets;They were defiled with ^bbloodSo that no one could touch their ^cgarments.

ס — Samekh

15 “Depart! ^aUnclean!” ¹they cried of themselves.“Depart, depart, do not touch!”So they ^bfled and wandered;Men among the nations said,“They shall not continue to sojourn with us.”

פ — Pe

16 The presence of Yahweh has eradicated them;He will not continue to look at them;They did not ¹^ahonor the priests;They did not favor the elders.

ע — Ayin

17 Yet our eyes were spent,Looking for ¹help was ^avanity;In our watching we have watchedFor a ^bnation that could not save.

צ — Tsadhe

18 They ^ahunted our stepsSo that we could not walk in our open squares;Our ^bend drew near,Our days were ¹finished,For our end had come.

ק — Qoph

19 Our pursuers were ^aswifterThan the eagles of the sky;They hotly pursued us on the mountains;They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.

ר — Resh

20 The ^abreath of our nostrils, the ^banointed of Yahweh,Was ^ccaptured in their pits,Of whom we had said, “Under his ^dshadowWe shall live among the nations.”

ש — Sin

21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of ^aEdom,Who inhabits the land of Uz;But the ^bcup will pass on to you as well;You will become drunk and make yourself naked.

ת — Tav

22 The punishment of your iniquity has come ^ato an end, O daughter of Zion;He will exile you no longer.But He ^bwill punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom;He will expose your sins!