אֵיכָה יוּעַם זָהָב יִשְׁנֶא הַכֶּתֶם הַטּוֹב תִּשְׁתַּפֵּכְנָה אַבְנֵי־קֹדֶשׁ בְּרֹאשׁ כָּל־חוּצוֹת

How can shiny gold tarnish? How can the appearance of the fine gold change? The sacred stones are spilled at the head of every street. How is all that was beautiful and precious disgraced and gone to waste?

בְּנֵי צִיּוֹן הַיְקָרִים הַמְסֻלָּאִים בַּפָּז אֵיכָה נֶחְשְׁבוּ לְנִבְלֵי־חֶרֶשׂ מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי יוֹצֵר

The precious sons of Zion, who were valued as gold, how are they now considered as worthless as earthenware jugs, the handiwork of the hands of the potter?

גַּם־תַּנִּים חָלְצוּ שַׁד הֵינִיקוּ גּוּרֵיהֶן בַּת־עַמִּי לְאַכְזָר כַּיְעֵנִים בַּמִּדְבָּר

Even jackals take out a breast, nurse their pups. Even these animals, some of whom are predatory, are merciful in certain situations; but the daughter of my people has become cruel. The mothers of Jerusalem are malnourished; their breasts have shriveled, and their survival instincts prevent them from supplying the needs of their children. They are like ostriches, who abandon their offspring in the wilderness. This is what has befallen Israel. Jerusalem has become like a wilderness, a place where people do not care for each other.

דָּבַק לְשׁוֹן יוֹנֵק אֶל־חִכּוֹ בַּצָּמָא עוֹלָלִים שָׁאֲלוּ לֶחֶם פֹּרֵשׂ אֵין לָהֶם

The tongue of the suckling babe sticks to its palate from thirst, because there is no milk for the nursing infants; infants request bread, and no one breaks it for them, because of the siege upon Jerusalem.

הָאֹכְלִים לְמַעֲדַנִּים נָשַׁמּוּ בַּחוּצוֹת הָאֱמֻנִים עֲלֵי תוֹלָע חִבְּקוּ אַשְׁפַּתּוֹת

The eaters of delicacies are now desolate and penniless in the streets; those reared in expensive scarlet garments now embrace heaps of refuse, as they are left with nothing.

וַיִּגְדַּל עֲוֹן בַּת־עַמִּי מֵחַטַּאת סְדֹם הַהֲפוּכָה כְמוֹ רָגַע וְלֹא־חָלוּ בָהּ יָדָיִם

The iniquity of the daughter of my people must have exceeded the sin of Sodom, as her punishment was more severe than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no enemy hands seized it, whereas in Jerusalem the suffering is continuous.

זַכּוּ נְזִירֶיהָ מִשֶּׁלֶג צַחוּ מֵחָלָב אָדְמוּ עֶצֶם מִפְּנִינִים סַפִּיר גִּזְרָתָם

In past times, its, Jerusalem’s, nazirites used to be purer than snow, whiter than milk; their appearance was ruddier than gems, their form a sapphire.

חָשַׁךְ מִשְּׁחוֹר תָּאֳרָם לֹא נִכְּרוּ בַּחוּצוֹת צָפַד עוֹרָם עַל־עַצְמָם יָבֵשׁ הָיָה כָעֵץ

The people of Jerusalem were clean, pure, refined, and beautiful. In better times, they engaged only in matters of holiness. Now, however, their countenance is blacker than coal; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin is shriveled on their bones; it has become dry as wood.

טוֹבִים הָיוּ חַלְלֵי־חֶרֶב מֵחַלְלֵי רָעָב שֶׁהֵם יָזֻבוּ מְדֻקָּרִים מִתְּנוּבוֹת שָׂדָי

Those killed by sword in battle were better off than those killed by hunger, for from their ruptured bodies, they, the victims of hunger, leak with, emit various liquids from, the produce of the field. Alternatively, “these” refers to the victims of the sword, who were stabbed through while sated.

יְדֵי נָשִׁים רַחֲמָנִיּוֹת בִּשְּׁלוּ יַלְדֵיהֶן הָיוּ לְבָרוֹת לָמוֹ בּשֶׁבֶר בַּת־עַמִּי

The hands of merciful women cooked their children; they, the children, were food for them, their mothers, in the time of the disaster of the daughter of my people.

כִּלָּה ה' אֶת־חֲמָתוֹ שָׁפַךְ חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וַיַּצֶּת־אֵשׁ בְּצִיּוֹן וַתֹּאכַל יְסֹדֹתֶיהָ

The Lord vented His fury, He poured out His enflamed wrath. He kindled a fire in Zion, and it consumed even its foundations.

לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל כִּי יָבֹא צַר וְאוֹיֵב בְּשַׁעֲרֵי יְרוּשָׁלִָם

The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world did not believe that a besieger and enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem, which was such a central, fortified, and secure city.

מֵחַטֹּאת נְבִיאֶיהָ עֲוֹנֹת כֹּהֲנֶיהָ הַשֹּׁפְכִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ דַּם צַדִּיקִים

It, this entire catastrophe, was due to the sins of her false prophets, and because of the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst, in order to achieve wealth and honor.

נָעוּ עִוְרִים בַּחוּצוֹת נְגֹאֲלוּ בַּדָּם בְּלֹא יוּכְלוּ יִגְּעוּ בִּלְבֻשֵׁיהֶם

The entire city was filled with the blood of the dead. They wandered blind in the streets. Alternatively, blind men wander in the streets without a guide, having been sullied with blood, as they could not see where the corpses were, so that one could not touch their filthy garments.

סוּרוּ טָמֵא קָרְאוּ לָמוֹ סוּרוּ סוּרוּ אַל־תִּגָּעוּ כִּי נָצוּ גַּם־נָעוּ אָמְרוּ בַּגּוֹיִם לֹא יוֹסִפוּ לָגוּר

It was necessary to warn those approaching: Turn away, impure, they called to them; turn away, turn away, do not touch, because they were begrimed, had become dirty, as well as wandering. They said among the nations: They will not continue to reside here, in our land, or in Jerusalem.

פְּנֵי ה' חִלְּקָם לֹא יוֹסִיף לְהַבִּיטָם פְּנֵי כֹהֲנִים לֹא נָשָׂאוּ וּזְקֵנִים לֹא חָנָנוּ

The attention of the Lord has divided them; God has scattered them in His anger. He will not continue to look at them, as they did not respect priests and were not gracious to elders. They did not help the needy.

עוֹדֵינוּ תִּכְלֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵנוּ הָבֶל בְּצִפִּיָּתֵנוּ צִפִּינוּ אֶל־גּוֹי לֹא יוֹשִׁעַ

Our eyes yet fail, seeking deliverance in vain; our hopes for help have turned out to be in vain. In our waiting, we awaited a foreign nation that we hoped would come to our aid, but it cannot save us.

צָדוּ צְעָדֵינוּ מִלֶּכֶת בִּרְחֹבֹתֵינוּ קָרַב קִצֵּנוּ מָלְאוּ יָמֵינוּ כִּי־בָא קִצֵּנוּ

They, the enemies, hunted our steps, even preventing us from walking in our squares; our end approaches, our days are filled, as our end has come.

קַלִּים הָיוּ רֹדְפֵינוּ מִנִּשְׁרֵי שָׁמָיִם עַל־הֶהָרִים דְּלָקֻנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אָרְבוּ לָנוּ

Even those who did not stay in the city could not find refuge because our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens, and they captured us. They chased us on the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness.

רוּחַ אַפֵּינוּ מְשִׁיחַ ה' נִלְכַּד בִּשְׁחִיתוֹתָם אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְנוּ בְּצִלּוֹ נִחְיֶה בַגּוֹיִם

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, a reference to the king of Judah, who was anointed with a special oil, was captured in their traps. This is the king of whom we said: In his shade we will live among the nations.

שִׂישִׂי וְשִׂמְחִי בַּת־אֱדוֹם יוֹשֶׁבֶת בְּאֶרֶץ עוּץ גַּם־עָלַיִךְ תַּעֲבָר־כּוֹס תִּשְׁכְּרִי וְתִתְעָרִי

The lamenter expresses bitter scorn toward the people of Edom, who, during this period, enjoyed calm and bliss: Be glad and rejoice, daughter of Edom, who resides in the land of Utz. But not for long, as the cup of vengeance and destruction will pass to you too; you will get drunk from drinking it, and you will be overturned, ruined.

תַּם־עֲוֹנֵךְ בַּת־צִיּוֹן לֹא יוֹסִיף לְהַגְלוֹתֵךְ פָּקַד עֲוֹנֵךְ בַּת־אֱדוֹם גִּלָּה עַל־חַטֹּאתָיִךְ

Your iniquity is completed, daughter of Zion; He, God, will not continue to exile you. You have received the entire punishment that you deserved and have consequently paid for all your sins. On the other hand, He reckons your iniquity, daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins. He will yet settle His account with you for your sins.