Font Size
Lamentations 4
1599 Geneva Bible
Lamentations 4
1599 Geneva Bible
4 1 How is the [a]gold become so [b]dim? the most fine gold is changed, and the stones of the Sanctuary are scattered in the corner of every street.
2 The noble [c]men of Zion comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen [d]pitchers, even the work of the hands of the potter!
3 Even the dragons [e]draw out the breasts, and give suck to their young: but the daughter of my people is become cruel like the [f]ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, but no man breaketh it unto them.
5 They that did feed delicately, perish in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet, embrace the dung.
6 For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is become greater than the sin of Sodom, that was (A)destroyed as in a moment, and [g]none pitched camps against her.
7 Her (B)Nazirites were purer than the snow, and whiter than the milk: they were more ruddy in body, than the red precious stones: they were like polished sapphire.
8 Now their [h]visage is blacker than a coal: they cannot know them in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones: it is withered like a stock.
9 They that be slain with the sword, are better than they that are killed with hunger: for they fade away as they were stricken through for the [i]fruits of the field.
10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children, which were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The Lord hath accomplished his indignation: he hath poured out his fierce wrath, he hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the foundations thereof.
12 The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem:
13 For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of [j]her.
14 They have wandered as blind men[k]in the streets, and they were polluted with blood, so that[l]they would not touch their garments.
15 But they cried unto them, Depart ye polluted, depart, depart, touch not: therefore they fled away, and wandered: they have said among the heathen, They shall no more dwell there.
16 The [m]anger of the Lord hath scattered them, he will no more regard them: [n]they reverenced not the face of the Priest, nor had compassion on the Elders.
17 While we waited for our vain help, our eyes failed: for in our waiting we looked for [o]a nation that could not save us.
18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled, for our end is come.
19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, and laid wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The [p]breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of the Lord was taken in their nets, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall be preserved alive among the heathen.
21 Rejoice and be glad, [q]O daughter Edom: that dwellest in the land of Uz, the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken [r]and vomit.
22 Thy punishment is accomplished, O daughter Zion: he [s]will no more carry thee away into captivity, but he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter Edom, he will discover thy sins.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 4:1 By the gold, he meaneth the princes, as by the stones he understandeth the Priests.
- Lamentations 4:1 Or, hid.
- Lamentations 4:2 Or, sons.
- Lamentations 4:2 Which are of small estimation, and have none honor.
- Lamentations 4:3 Though the dragons be cruel, yet they pity their young, and nourish them, which things Jerusalem doth not.
- Lamentations 4:3 The women forsake their children, as the ostrich doth her eggs, Job 39:17.
- Lamentations 4:6 Or, no strength was against her.
- Lamentations 4:8 They that were before most in God’s favor, are now in greatest abomination unto him.
- Lamentations 4:9 For lack of food they pine away and consume.
- Lamentations 4:13 He meaneth that these things are come to pass therefore, contrary to all men’s expectation.
- Lamentations 4:14 Some refer this to the blind men, which as they went, stumbled on the blood, whereof the city was full.
- Lamentations 4:14 Meaning, the heathen which came to destroy them, could not abide them.
- Lamentations 4:16 Or, face.
- Lamentations 4:16 That is, the enemies.
- Lamentations 4:17 He showeth two principal causes of their destruction: their cruelty and their vain confidence in man: for they trusted in the help of the Egyptians.
- Lamentations 4:20 Our king Josiah, in whom stood our hope of God’s favor, and on whom depended our state and life, was slain, whom he calleth Anointed, because he was a figure of Christ.
- Lamentations 4:21 This is spoken by derision.
- Lamentations 4:21 Or, show thy nakedness.
- Lamentations 4:22 He comforteth the Church, by that after seventy years their sorrows shall have an end, whereas the wicked should be tormented forever.
Lamentations 4
New International Version
Lamentations 4
New International Version
4 [a]How the gold has lost its luster,
the fine gold become dull!
The sacred gems are scattered
at every street corner.(A)
2 How the precious children of Zion,(B)
once worth their weight in gold,
are now considered as pots of clay,
the work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even jackals offer their breasts
to nurse their young,
but my people have become heartless
like ostriches in the desert.(C)
4 Because of thirst(D) the infant’s tongue
sticks to the roof of its mouth;(E)
the children beg for bread,
but no one gives it to them.(F)
5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets.
Those brought up in royal purple(G)
now lie on ash heaps.(H)
6 The punishment of my people
is greater than that of Sodom,(I)
which was overthrown in a moment
without a hand turned to help her.
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(J) than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;(K)
it has become as dry as a stick.
9 Those killed by the sword are better off
than those who die of famine;(L)
racked with hunger, they waste away
for lack of food from the field.(M)
10 With their own hands compassionate women
have cooked their own children,(N)
who became their food
when my people were destroyed.
11 The Lord has given full vent to his wrath;(O)
he has poured out(P) his fierce anger.(Q)
He kindled a fire(R) in Zion
that consumed her foundations.(S)
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
nor did any of the peoples of the world,
that enemies and foes could enter
the gates of Jerusalem.(T)
13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets
and the iniquities of her priests,(U)
who shed within her
the blood(V) of the righteous.
14 Now they grope through the streets
as if they were blind.(W)
They are so defiled with blood(X)
that no one dares to touch their garments.
15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them.
“Away! Away! Don’t touch us!”
When they flee and wander(Y) about,
people among the nations say,
“They can stay here no longer.”(Z)
16 The Lord himself has scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.(AA)
The priests are shown no honor,
the elders(AB) no favor.(AC)
17 Moreover, our eyes failed,
looking in vain(AD) for help;(AE)
from our towers we watched
for a nation(AF) that could not save us.
18 People stalked us at every step,
so we could not walk in our streets.
Our end was near, our days were numbered,
for our end had come.(AG)
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles(AH) in the sky;
they chased us(AI) over the mountains
and lay in wait for us in the desert.(AJ)
20 The Lord’s anointed,(AK) our very life breath,
was caught in their traps.(AL)
We thought that under his shadow(AM)
we would live among the nations.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 4:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.