| English Standard Version | King James Bible |
| 1How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed! The holy stones lie scattered at the head of every street. | 1How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. |
| 2The precious sons of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold, how they are regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! | 2The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! |
| 3Even jackals offer the breast; they nurse their young; but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. | 3Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. |
| 4The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them. | 4The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. |
| 5Those who once feasted on delicacies perish in the streets; those who were brought up in purple embrace ash heaps. | 5They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. |
| 6For the chastisement of the daughter of my people has been greater than the punishment of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands were wrung for her. | 6For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. |
| 7Her princes were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than coral, the beauty of their form was like sapphire. | 7Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: |
| 8Now their face is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as wood. | 8Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. |
| 9Happier were the victims of the sword than the victims of hunger, who wasted away, pierced by lack of the fruits of the field. | 9They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. |
| 10The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people. | 10The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| 11The LORD gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger, and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations. | 11The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. |
| 12The kings of the earth did not believe, nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem. | 12The 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. |
| 13This was for the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed in the midst of her the blood of the righteous. | 13For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, |
| 14They wandered, blind, through the streets; they were so defiled with blood that no one was able to touch their garments. | 14They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. |
| 15“Away! Unclean!” people cried at them. “Away! Away! Do not touch!” So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, “They shall stay with us no longer.” | 15They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there. |
| 16The LORD himself has scattered them; he will regard them no more; no honor was shown to the priests, no favor to the elders. | 16The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders. |
| 17Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save. | 17As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us. |
| 18They dogged our steps so that we could not walk in our streets; our end drew near; our days were numbered, for our end had come. | 18They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. |
| 19Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the heavens; they chased us on the mountains; they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. | 19Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. |
| 20The breath of our nostrils, the LORD’s anointed, was captured in their pits, of whom we said, “Under his shadow we shall live among the nations.” | 20The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen. |
| 21Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz; but to you also the cup shall pass; you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare. | 21Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. |
| 22The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished; he will keep you in exile no longer; but your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish; he will uncover your sins. | 22The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; he will no more carry thee away into captivity: he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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