¹ How is the gold become dim, Changed the best -- the pure gold? Poured out are stones of the sanctuary At the head of all out-places.

² The precious sons of Zion, Who are comparable with fine gold, How have they been reckoned earthen bottles, Work of the hands of a potter.

³ Even dragons have drawn out the breast, They have suckled their young ones, The daughter of my people is become cruel, Like the ostriches in a wilderness.

⁴ Cleaved hath the tongue of a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they have none.

⁵ Those eating of dainties have been desolate in out-places, Those supported on scarlet have embraced dunghills.

⁶ And greater is the iniquity of the daughter of my people, Than the sin of Sodom, That was overturned as [in] a moment, And no hands were stayed on her.

⁷ Purer were her Nazarites than snow, Whiter than milk, ruddier of body than rubies, Of sapphire their form.

⁸ Darker than blackness hath been their visage, They have not been known in out-places, Cleaved hath their skin unto their bone, It hath withered -- it hath been as wood.

⁹ Better have been the pierced of a sword Than the pierced of famine, For these flow away, pierced through, Without the increase of the field.

¹⁰ The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the destruction of the daughter of my people.

¹¹ Completed hath Jehovah His fury, He hath poured out the fierceness of His anger, And he kindleth a fire in Zion, And it devoureth her foundations.

¹² Believe not did the kings of earth, And any of the inhabitants of the world, That come would an adversary and enemy Into the gates of Jerusalem.

¹³ Because of the sins of her prophets, The iniquities of her priests, Who are shedding in her midst the blood of the righteous,

¹⁴ They have wandered naked in out-places, They have been polluted with blood, Without [any] being able to touch their clothing,

¹⁵ `Turn aside -- unclean,' they called to them, `Turn aside, turn aside, touch not,' For they fled -- yea, they have wandered, They have said among nations: `They do not add to sojourn.'

¹⁶ The face of Jehovah hath divided them, He doth not add to behold them, The face of priests they have not lifted up, Elders they have not favoured.

¹⁷ While we exist -- consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation [that] saveth not.

¹⁸ They have hunted our steps from going in our broad-places, Near hath been our end, fulfilled our days, For come hath our end.

¹⁹ Swifter have been our pursuers, Than the eagles of the heavens, On the mountains they have burned [after] us, In the wilderness they have laid wait for us.

²⁰ The breath of our nostrils -- the anointed of Jehovah, Hath been captured in their pits, of whom we said: `In his shadow we do live among nations.'

²¹ Joy and rejoice, O daughter of Edom, Dwelling in the land of Uz, Even unto thee pass over doth a cup, Thou art drunk, and makest thyself naked.

²² Completed [is] thy iniquity, daughter of Zion, He doth not add to remove thee, He hath inspected thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom, He hath removed [thee] because of thy sins!

¹ Lo, Jehovah is emptying the land, And is making it waste, And hath overturned [it on] its face, And hath scattered its inhabitants.

² And it hath been -- as a people so a priest, As the servant so his master, As the maid-servant so her mistress, As the buyer so the seller, As the lender so the borrower, As the usurer so he who is lifting [it] on himself.

³ Utterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, For Jehovah hath spoken this word:

⁴ Mourned, faded hath the land, Languished, faded hath the world, Languished have they -- the high place of the people of the land.

⁵ And the land hath been defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed laws, They have changed a statute, They have made void a covenant age-during.

⁶ Therefore a curse hath consumed the land, And the inhabitants in it are become desolate, Therefore consumed have been inhabitants of the land, And few men have been left.

⁷ Mourned hath the new wine, languished the vine, Sighed have all the joyful of heart.

⁸ Ceased hath the joy of tabrets, Ceased hath the noise of exulting ones, Ceased hath the joy of a harp.

⁹ With a song they drink not wine, Bitter is strong drink to those drinking it.

¹⁰ It was broken down -- a city of emptiness, Shut hath been every house from entrance.

¹¹ A cry over the wine [is] in out-places, Darkened hath been all joy, Removed hath been the joy of the land.

¹² Left in the city [is] desolation, And [with] wasting is the gate smitten.

¹³ When thus it is in the heart of the land, In the midst of the peoples, As the compassing of the olive, As gleanings when harvest hath been finished,

¹⁴ They -- they lift up their voice, They sing of the excellency of Jehovah, They have cried aloud from the sea.

¹⁵ Therefore in prosperity honour ye Jehovah, In isles of the sea, the name of Jehovah, God of Israel.

¹⁶ From the skirt of the earth we heard songs, The desire of the righteous. And I say, `Leanness [is] to me, Leanness [is] to me, wo [is] to me.' Treacherous dealers dealt treacherously, Yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.

¹⁷ Fear, and a snare, and a gin, [Are] on thee, O inhabitant of the land.

¹⁸ And it hath come to pass, He who is fleeing from the noise of the fear Doth fall into the snare, And he who is coming up from the midst of the snare, Is captured by the gin, For windows on high have been opened, And shaken are foundations of the land.

¹⁹ Utterly broken down hath been the land, Utterly broken hath been the land, Utterly moved hath been the land.

²⁰ Stagger greatly doth the land as a drunkard, And it hath been moved as a lodge, And heavy on it hath been its transgression, And it hath fallen, and addeth not to rise.

²¹ And it hath come to pass, in that day, Jehovah layeth a charge on the host of the high place in the high place, And on the kings of the land on the land.

²² And they have been gathered -- A gathering of bound ones in a pit, And shut up they have been in a prison, And after a multitude of days are inspected.

²³ And confounded hath been the moon, And ashamed hath been the sun, For reigned hath Jehovah of Hosts In mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, And over-against His elders -- honour!