1How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed!
2The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold,
3Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones:
4The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst:
5They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets:
6For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom,
7Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk,
8Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets:
9They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger:
10The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children:
11The Lord hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger,
12The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed
13For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests,
14They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood,
15They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not, when they fled away and wandered:
16The anger of the Lord hath divided them; he will no more regard them:
17As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help:
18They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets:
19Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven:
20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits,
21Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz;
22The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: