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4:1  See how the gold has ·lost its shine [lost its luster; L become dim/dark], how the pure gold has ·dulled [changed]! The stones of the ·Temple [L Holy Place] are scattered at ·every street corner [L the top of every street].
4:2  The precious ·people [children; sons] of ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] were ·more valuable than [worth their weight in] gold, but now they are thought of as clay jars ·made by [L the work of] the hands of a potter.
4:3  Even ·wild dogs [jackals] ·give their milk [L prepare the breast] to ·feed [suckle; nurse] their young, but [L the daughter of] my people are ·cruel [violent] like ostriches in the ·desert [wilderness; Job 39:14–16].
4:4  The ·babies [L nurslings] are so thirsty their tongues stick to ·the roofs of their mouths [L their palates]. Children ·beg [ask] for bread, but no one ·gives [offers] them any.
4:5  Those who once ate ·fine foods [delicacies; C the food of the rich; Prov. 23:3, 6] are ·now starving [L desolate] in the streets. People who ·grew up [were nurtured] ·wearing nice clothes [L in purple/or crimson; C expensive clothes often associated with royalty] now ·pick through [cling to] ·trash piles [ash heaps; 1 Sam. 2:8; Job 2:8; Ps. 113:7].
4:6  ·My people have been punished more than Sodom was [L The iniquity/or punishment of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin/or punishment of Sodom]. ·Sodom [L …which] was ·destroyed [L overturned] suddenly, and no hands ·reached out to help her [or were wrung; Gen. 19; Deut. 29:23; Is. 1:9–10; Jer. 23:14; Ezek. 16:46–56; Matt. 10:15; Jude 7; Rev. 11:8].
4:7  ·Our [or Her] princes were purer than snow, and whiter than milk. Their bodies were redder than ·rubies [or coral]; they looked like ·sapphires [lapis lazuli].
4:8  But now ·they [L their faces] are blacker than coal, and no one recognizes them in the streets. Their skin ·hangs [or shrivels] on their bones; it is as dry as wood.
4:9  Those who were ·killed [L pierced] ·in the war [L by the sword] were better off than those ·killed [L pierced] by ·hunger [famine]. They ·starve in pain and die [drain/waste away], ·because there is no food from the field [L deprived of the produce of the field; Jer. 11:22; 14:12–18].
4:10  With their own hands ·kind [compassionate] women ·cook [boil] their own children. They became food when ·my [L the daughter of my] people were ·destroyed [fractured; broken; Deut. 28:56–57].
4:11  The Lord turned loose all of his anger; he poured out his ·strong [L hot] anger. He set fire to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple; Ps. 74:4–7], ·burning it down to the [L consuming its] foundations.
4:12  Kings of the earth and ·people [L the inhabitants] of the world could not believe that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem [C since God had made his presence known there; Ps. 48:1–2].
4:13  It happened because her prophets sinned and her priests did evil [Jer. 1:17–19; 2:7–8, 26; 4:9; 13:12–14]. They ·killed [L poured out blood] in ·the city [L its midst] ·those who did what was right [the righteous].
4:14  They wandered in the streets as if they were blind. They were ·dirty [defiled; C in a ritual sense] with blood [C as if covered with menstrual blood; Lev. 15], so no one ·would [was able to] touch their clothes.
4:15  “·Go away [Turn aside]! ·You are unclean [L Unclean!; C in a ritual sense],” people shouted at them. “·Get away [Turn aside]! ·Get away [Turn aside]! Don’t touch us!” So they ran away and wandered. Even the other nations said, “Don’t stay here.”
4:16  The Lord himself ·scattered [dispersed] them and did not ·look after [regard] them anymore. No one respects the priests or ·honors [has favor for] the elders.
4:17  Also, our eyes ·grew tired [failed], looking for help ·that never came [in vain; without purpose; 2:11; Ps. 69:3; 119:82, 123]. We kept watch ·from our towers [or eagerly] for a nation ·to save us [L that could not save us/give us victory; C Judah had hoped that Egypt would rescue them from Babylon; Jer. 2:18, 36].
4:18  ·Our enemies [L They] ·hunted [dogged] ·us [L our steps], so we could not even walk in the ·streets [public areas]. Our end is near. Our ·time [L days] ·is [L fill] up. Our end has come.
4:19  Those who ·chased [pursued] us were faster than eagles in the ·sky [heavens]. They ·ran [chased] us into the mountains and ambushed us in the ·desert [wilderness].
4:20  The Lord’s ·appointed king [anointed; C Judah’s king], ·who was our very breath [L the breath of our life/nostrils], was caught in their traps [2 Kin. 25:5–7]. We had said about him, “We will ·be protected by him [L live in his shadow/shade] among the nations.”
4:21  Be happy and ·glad [rejoice], ·people [L daughter] of Edom, you who live in the land of Uz [C city in Edom; Job 1:1; Jer. 25:20]. The cup [C of God’s judgment] will ·come [pass] to you; then you will get drunk and go naked [Jer. 25:15–38; 49:12–13].
4:22  Your ·punishment [or iniquity] is complete, ·Jerusalem [L daughter of Zion; C the location of the Temple]. He will not send you into ·captivity again [exile]. But the Lord will punish the ·sins [iniquity] of Edom; he will ·uncover [expose] your ·evil [sin].