This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. 1How the gold has lost its lustre,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at every street corner.
2How the precious children of Zion,
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter’s hands!
3Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.
4Because of thirst the infant’s tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;
the children beg for bread,
but no-one gives it to them.
5Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple
now lie on ash heaps.
6The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
7Their princes were brighter than snow
and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
their appearance like lapis lazuli.
8But now they are blacker than soot;
they are not recognised in the streets.
Their skin has shrivelled on their bones;
it has become as dry as a stick.
9Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of famine;
racked with hunger, they waste away
for lack of food from the field.
10With their own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,
who became their food
when my people were destroyed.
11The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;
he has poured out his fierce anger.
He kindled a fire in Zion
that consumed her foundations.
12The 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.
13But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed within her
the blood of the righteous.
14Now they grope through the streets
as if they were blind.
They are so defiled with blood
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 about,
people among the nations say,
‘They can stay here no longer.’
16The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.
The priests are shown no honour,
the elders no favour.
17Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain for help;
from our towers we watched
for a nation that could not save us.
18People 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.
19Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles in the sky;
they chased us over the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the desert.
20The Lord’s anointed, our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.
We thought that under his shadow
we would live among the nations.
21Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed;
you will be drunk and stripped naked.
22Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion;
he will not prolong your exile.
But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom,
and expose your wickedness.
淪陷的耶路撒冷
1黃金竟失去光澤，
純金竟變色，
寶石竟被棄之街頭。
2錫安的寶貝子民本來貴如黃金，
現在竟被視為陶匠製作的瓦器！
3豺狼尚且哺養自己的幼兒，
我的子民卻像荒野的鴕鳥一樣殘忍無情。
4嬰兒乾渴難忍，舌頭緊貼上膛；
孩童乞求食物，卻無人給予。
5昔日錦衣玉食、生活奢侈的，
如今卻流落街頭，
躺臥在糞堆中。
6雖然無人攻擊，所多瑪卻在頃刻之間傾覆。
我子民比所多瑪受到的懲罰更重。
7錫安的首領曾比雪純淨，
比奶更白，
身體比紅寶石更紅潤，
相貌美如藍寶石。
8現在，他們的面目比煤炭還黑，
走在街上無人認得。
他們骨瘦如柴，乾如枯木。
9死於刀下的勝過死於饑餓的，
後者因田間缺糧而活活餓死。
10我的百姓遭毀滅時，
慈母親手煮自己的兒女充饑。
11耶和華大發烈怒，
傾倒祂的怒氣，
在錫安燃起大火，
焚毀城的根基。
12世上的君王和居民都不相信敵人能闖進耶路撒冷的城門。
13這都是因為她的先知和祭司的罪行。
他們在城中殺害義人。
14他們如盲人在街上遊蕩，
沾滿血污，
無人敢碰他們的衣服。
15人們向他們喊道：
「走開！你們是不潔的！
走開！走開！不要靠近我們。」
於是他們逃亡、流蕩，
列國的人說：
「他們不可住在我們這裡。」
16耶和華親自驅散他們，
不再眷顧他們；
人們不再尊重祭司，
也不再敬重長老。
17我們望眼欲穿，
盼望援軍的到來，
盼來的國家卻無力拯救我們。
18敵人步步緊逼，
使我們不敢上自己的街。
我們的結局近了，
我們的日子到頭了，
我們的末日來了！
19追趕我們的人比飛鷹更快，
他們在山上追捕我們，
在曠野伏擊我們。
20耶和華膏立的王——我們的生命之氣落入他們的陷阱。
我們原希望藉他的蔭庇立足於列國中。
21烏斯地區的以東人啊，
只管歡喜作樂吧！
因為盛滿耶和華憤怒的杯也要傳到你們那裡。
你們必喝醉，以致赤身露體。
22錫安城啊！你已經受到了應得的刑罰，
耶和華必不再使你流亡。
以東啊，耶和華要懲罰你，
揭露你的罪惡！
