Lamentations · Literal Standard Version
Lamentations 4 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 [ALEPH-BET] How the gold has become dim, || Changed the best—the pure gold! Stones of the sanctuary are poured out || At the head of all out-places.
1 How the gold has become dim! The most pure gold has changed! The stones of the sanctuary are poured out at the head of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion, || Who are comparable with fine gold, || How they have been reckoned earthen bottles, || Work of the hands of a potter.
2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how they are esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!
3 Even dragons have drawn out the breast, || They have suckled their young ones, || The daughter of my people has become cruel, || Like the ostriches in a wilderness.
3 Even the jackals offer their breast. They nurse their young ones. But the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of a suckling has cleaved to his palate with thirst, || Infants asked for bread, they have no dealer [of it] out.
4 The tongue of the nursing child clings to the roof of his mouth for thirst. The young children ask for bread, and no one breaks it for them.
5 Those eating of delicacies have been desolate in out-places, || Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills.
5 Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets. Those who were brought up in purple embrace dunghills.
6 And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, || Than the sin of Sodom, || That was overturned as [in] a moment, || And no hands were stayed on her.
6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment. No hands were laid on her.
7 Purer were her Nazarites than snow, || Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, || Of sapphire their form.
7 Her nobles were purer than snow. They were whiter than milk. They were more ruddy in body than rubies. Their polishing was like sapphire.
8 Their face has been darker than blackness, || They have not been known in out-places, || Their skin has cleaved to their bone, || It has withered—it has been as wood.
8 Their appearance is blacker than a coal. They are not known in the streets. Their skin clings to their bones. It is withered. It has become like wood.
9 Better have been the pierced of a sword || Than the pierced of famine, || For these flow away, pierced through, || Without the increase of the field.
9 Those who are killed with the sword are better than those who are killed with hunger; for these pine away, stricken through, for lack of the fruits of the field.
10 The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, || They have been for food to them, || In the destruction of the daughter of my people.
10 The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children. They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 YHWH has completed His fury, || He has poured out the fierceness of His anger, || And He kindles a fire in Zion, || And it devours her foundations.
11 Yahweh has accomplished his wrath. He has poured out his fierce anger. He has kindled a fire in Zion, which has devoured its foundations.
12 The kings of earth did not believe, || And any of the inhabitants of the world, || That an adversary and enemy would come || Into the gates of Jerusalem.
12 The kings of the earth didn’t believe, neither did all the inhabitants of the world, that the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Because of the sins of her prophets, || The iniquities of her priests, || Who are shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous,
13 It is because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the middle of her.
14 They have wandered naked in out-places, || They have been defiled with blood, || Without [any] being able to touch their clothing,
14 They wander as blind men in the streets. They are polluted with blood, So that men can’t touch their garments.
15 “Turn aside—unclean,” they called to them, || “Turn aside, turn aside, do not touch,” || For they fled—indeed, they have wandered, || They have said among nations: “They do not add to sojourn.”
15 “Go away!” they cried to them. “Unclean! Go away! Go away! Don’t touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, “They can’t live here any more.”
16 The face of YHWH has divided them, || He does not add to behold them, || They have not lifted up the face of priests, || They have not favored [the] old and elderly.
16 Yahweh’s anger has scattered them. He will not pay attention to them any more. They didn’t respect the persons of the priests. They didn’t favor the elders.
17 While we exist—consumed are our eyes for our vain help, || In our watchtower we have watched for a nation [that] does not save.
17 Our eyes still fail, looking in vain for our help. In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.
18 They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, || Near has been our end, fulfilled our days, || For our end has come.
18 They hunt our steps, so that we can’t go in our streets. Our end is near. Our days are fulfilled, for our end has come.
19 Swifter have been our pursuers, || Than the eagles of the heavens, || On the mountains they have burned [after] us, || In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.
19 Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the sky. They chased us on the mountains. They set an ambush for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our nostrils—the anointed of YHWH, || Has been captured in their pits, of whom we said: “We live among nations in his shadow.”
20 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Yahweh, was taken in their pits; of whom we said, under his shadow we will live among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, || Dwelling in the land of Uz, || Even to you a cup passes over, || You are drunk, and make yourself naked.
21 Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom, who dwells in the land of Uz. The cup will pass through to you also. You will be drunken, and will make yourself naked.
22 Completed [is] your iniquity, daughter of Zion, || He does not add to remove you, || He has inspected your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, || He has removed [you] because of your sins!
22 The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, daughter of Zion. He will no more carry you away into captivity. He will visit your iniquity, daughter of Edom. He will uncover your sins.
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Ezekiel 7:19–22; Lamentations 2:19; Isaiah 1:21; 2 Kings 25:9–10; Jeremiah 52:13
- 2 Isaiah 30:14; Romans 9:21–23; Jeremiah 19:11; 2 Timothy 2:20; 2 Corinthians 4:7
- 3 Luke 23:28–29; Ezekiel 5:10; Lamentations 4:10; Lamentations 2:20; Job 39:13–16
- 4 Psalm 22:15; Lamentations 2:11–12; Psalm 137:6; Deuteronomy 32:24; Matthew 7:9–11
- 5 Luke 16:19; Proverbs 31:21; Amos 6:3–7; Luke 15:16; 1 Timothy 5:6
- 6 Genesis 19:25; Isaiah 1:9–10; Luke 12:47; Luke 10:12; Matthew 24:21
- 7 Psalm 51:7; Song of Songs 5:10; Psalm 144:12; 1 Samuel 16:12; Numbers 6:2–21
- 8 Lamentations 5:10; Job 30:30; Psalm 102:3–5; Job 19:20; Psalm 119:83
- 9 Jeremiah 16:4; Ezekiel 24:23; Leviticus 26:39; Ezekiel 33:10
- 10 Isaiah 49:15; Lamentations 2:20; 2 Kings 6:26–29; Jeremiah 19:9; Lamentations 4:3
- 11 Jeremiah 7:20; Ezekiel 22:31; Lamentations 2:17; Jeremiah 17:27; Ezekiel 20:47–48
- 12 Psalm 48:4–6; Deuteronomy 29:24–28; 1 Kings 9:8–9; Jeremiah 21:13
- 13 Jeremiah 5:31; Jeremiah 6:13; Matthew 23:31; Jeremiah 26:8–9; Ezekiel 22:26–28
- 14 Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 2:34; Numbers 19:16; Deuteronomy 28:28–29; Isaiah 56:10
- 15 Leviticus 13:45–46
- 16 Isaiah 9:14–16; Lamentations 5:12; Deuteronomy 32:26; Jeremiah 24:9; Deuteronomy 28:64–65
- 17 Ezekiel 29:16; Isaiah 20:5; 2 Kings 24:7; Jeremiah 2:36; Lamentations 1:7
- 18 Amos 8:2; Psalm 140:11; Ezekiel 7:2–12; Lamentations 3:52; Jeremiah 16:16
- 19 Habakkuk 1:8; Jeremiah 4:13; Isaiah 5:26–28; Deuteronomy 28:49; Isaiah 30:16–17
- 20 2 Samuel 1:14; Genesis 2:7; Ezekiel 12:13; Jeremiah 39:5; 2 Samuel 19:21
- 21 Revelation 16:15; Amos 1:11; Job 1:1; Psalm 137:7; Ezekiel 25:12–14
- 22 Isaiah 40:2; Jeremiah 50:20; Psalm 137:7; Lamentations 4:6; Malachi 1:4
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… salvation, thus: "God hath made known His salvation (salutare) in the sight of the heathen." For He is indeed Saviour, as being the Son and Word of God; but salutary, since [He is] Spirit; for he says: "The Spirit of our countenance, Christ the Lord." But salvation, as being flesh: for "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." …
Jeremiah, in prophesying of Christ, says, "The breath of our mouth, the Lord Christ, was taken in our sins," thus briefly showing both that Christ is our Lord and that He suffered for us.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Lamenting then he says, The breath of our countenance, Christ the Lord was taken in our corruptions.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
He is called Spirit, as "God is a Spirit," and "the breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord." He is called holy, as the Father is holy, and the Son is holy, for to the creature holiness was brought in from without, but to the Spirit holiness is the fulfilment of nature, and it is for this reason …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)