⁷ Their princes were brighter than snow
    and whiter than milk,
their bodies more ruddy than rubies,
    their appearance like lapis lazuli.

⁸ But now they are blacker^(A) than soot;
    they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;^(B)
    it has become as dry as a stick.

⁹ Those killed by the sword are better off
    than those who die of famine;^(C)
racked with hunger, they waste away
    for lack of food from the field.^(D)