3. Even jackals offer their breaststo nurse their young,but my dear people have become cruellike ostriches in the wilderness.
4. The nursing infant’s tongueclings to the roof of his mouth from thirst. Little children beg for bread,but no one gives them any.
5. Those who used to eat delicaciesare destitute in the streets;those who were reared in purple garments huddle in garbage heaps.
6. The punishment of my dear peopleis greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in an instantwithout a hand laid on it.
7. Her dignitaries were brighter than snow,whiter than milk;their bodies were more ruddy than coral,their appearance like sapphire.
8. Now they appear darker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets.Their skin has shriveled on their bones;it has become dry like wood.
9. Those slain by the sword are better offthan those slain by hunger,who waste away, pierced with painbecause the fields lack produce.
10. The hands of compassionate womenhave cooked their own children; they became their foodduring the destruction of my dear people.
11. The Lord has exhausted His wrath,poured out His burning anger;He has ignited a fire in Zion,and it has consumed her foundations.
12. The kings of the earthand all the world’s inhabitants did not believethat an enemy or adversarycould enter Jerusalem’s gates.
13. Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophetsand the guilt of her priests,who shed the blood of the righteouswithin her.
14. Blind, they stumbled in the streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one daredto touch their garments.
15. “Stay away! Unclean! ” people shouted at them.“Away, away! Don’t touch us! ” So they wandered aimlessly. It was said among the nations,“They can stay here no longer.”
16. The Lord Himself has scattered them;He regards them no more.The priests are not respected;the elders find no favor.
17. All the while our eyes were failingas we looked in vain for assistance; we watched from our towersfor a nation that refused to help.
18. Our steps were closely followedso that we could not walk in our streets.Our end drew near; our time ran out.Our end had come!