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15 Instead, everyone shouted,
    “Go away! Don't touch us!
You're filthy and unfit
    to belong to God's people!”

So they had to leave
    and become refugees.
But foreign nations told them,
    “You can't stay here!”[a]
16 The Lord is the one
who sent them scattering,
    and he has forgotten them.
No respect or kindness
will be shown
    to the priests or leaders.
17 Our eyes became weary,
    hopelessly looking
for help from a nation[b]
    that could not save us.

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Footnotes

  1. 4.15 here: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 15.
  2. 4.17 nation: Egypt, a former ally of Judah.

15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
    “Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander(A) about,
    people among the nations say,
    “They can stay here no longer.”(B)

16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
    he no longer watches over them.(C)
The priests are shown no honor,
    the elders(D) no favor.(E)

17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
    looking in vain(F) for help;(G)
from our towers we watched
    for a nation(H) that could not save us.

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