Online Bible

Distress of the Siege Described

How ^adark the gold has become,How the pure gold has changed!The sacred stones are spilled outAt the ¹corner of every street.2 The precious sons of Zion,Weighed against pure gold,How they are regarded as ^aearthenware jars,The work of a potter’s hands!3 Even ^ajackals offer the breast,They nurse their young;But the daughter of my people has proved herself ^bcruel,Like ^costriches in the wilderness.4 The ^atongue of the infant clingsTo the roof of its mouth because of ^bthirst;The children ^cask for bread,But no one breaks it for them.5 Those who used to eat ^adelicaciesAre made to tremble in the streets;Those who were raised in crimson clothingEmbrace garbage heaps.6 For the ¹wrongdoing of the daughter of my peopleIs greater than the ²^asin of Sodom,Which was ^boverthrown as in a moment,³And no hands were turned toward her.7 Her ¹consecrated ones were ^apurer than snow,They shined more than milk;They were more ruddy in ²body than pearls of coral,Their form was like ³^blapis lazuli.8 Their appearance is ^adarker than soot,They are not recognized in the streets;Their ^bskin is shriveled on their bones,It is dry, it has become like wood.9 Better off are those ^akilled by the swordThan those killed by hunger;For they ¹^bwaste away, ²strickenBy the lack of the produce of the field.10 The hands of compassionate women^aBoiled their own children;They became ^bfood for themDue to the destruction of the daughter of my people.11 The LORD has ^aexpended His wrath,He has poured out His fierce anger;And He has ^bkindled a fire in Zion,And it has consumed its foundations.12 The kings of the earth did not believe,Nor did any of ^athe inhabitants of the world,That the adversary and the enemyWould ^benter the gates of Jerusalem.13 Because of the sins of her ^aprophetsAnd the wrongdoings of her priests,Who have shed in her midstThe ^bblood of the righteous,14 They wandered, ^ablind, in the streets;They were defiled with ^bblood,Such that no one could touch their ^cgarments.15 “Keep away! ^aUnclean!” ¹they cried out of themselves.“Keep away, keep away, do not touch!”For they ^bdistanced themselves as well as wandered;People among the nations said,“They shall not continue to reside with us.”16 The presence of the LORD has scattered them,He will not continue to look at them;They did not ¹^ahonor the priests,They did not favor the elders.17 Yet our eyes failed,Looking for ¹help was ^auseless;At our observation point we have watchedFor a ^bnation that could not save.18 They ^ahunted our stepsSo that we could not walk in our streets;Our ^bend drew near,Our days were ¹finishedFor our end had come.19 Our pursuers were ^aswifterThan the eagles of the sky;They chased us on the mountains,They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.20 The ^abreath of our nostrils, the ^bLORD’S anointed,Was ^ccaptured in their pits,Of whom we had said, “¹In his ^dshadowWe shall live among the nations.”21 Rejoice and be joyful, daughter of ^aEdom,Who lives in the land of Uz;But the ^bcup will pass to you as well,You will become drunk and expose yourself.22 The punishment of your wrongdoing has been ^acompleted, daughter of Zion;He will no longer exile you.But He ^bwill punish your wrongdoing, daughter of Edom;He will expose your sins!

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