How can it be that the golden glow has paled, that the splendid jewel is altered? Sacred gems are spilled at the head of every street.

How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the hallowed stones are poured out at the top of every street.

How is the gold [(the face of King Yoshiyahu, which glowed like gold)] dulled! [How is] the fine gold transformed! [viz. Chronicles 35:25], the hallowed stones [(young men who shone like precious stones)] spilled out at the head of every street!

The cherished children of Tzion, who were evaluated in golden currency—how can they be considered like flasks of clay, the potter’s handiwork?

The precious sons of Żiyyon, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

The precious sons of Zion, valued as fine gold — how are they become as earthen jugs, the work of the potter!

Even the serpent bares its breast to nurse its young, yet the daughters of my people have become brutal, like the desert ostrich.

Even the jackals 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.

Even the jackals draw out the breast; they give suck to their young ones. The daughter of my people has become cruel [(They deafen themselves to the cries of their starving children to assuage their own hunger)], like ostriches in the wilderness.

The tongue of the nursing infant pasted to its palate with thirst, babies pleaded for bread, but no one offered it to them.

The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man gives it to them.

The tongue of the nursing child cleaves to its palate in thirst. Young children begged for bread. There is no one to break it for them.

Those who feasted on delicacies were ravaged in the streets, those raised on richly colored brocade embraced the dungheaps.

They that did feed on dainties are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

Those who were fed on delicacies expired in the streets. Those who were reared in scarlet embraced the dung hills.

My people’s transgressions surpassed the sins of S’dom, which was instantaneously overturned, untouched by [human] hands.

For the doom of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sedom, that was overthrown as in a moment, no hands being laid upon her.

And the transgression of the daughter of my people [(judging from the severity and duration of its punishment)] was greater than the sins of Sodom, which was overturned but in a moment, the hands [of enemies] not prevailing in her [(but those of angels)].

Her nazirites were more pristine than snow, more lustrous than milk. Those who appeared redder than pearls, who were hewn like sapphire—

Her Nazirites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was as of sapphire:

Her [(Jerusalem's)] Nazirites were purer than snow, whiter than milk, ruddier than rubies, formed as the sapphire.

Have become blacker than charcoal in appearance, are unrecognizable in the streets. Their skin is shrivelled on their bones, having become dry as wood.

now their visage is blacker than coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin is shrivelled upon their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

[But now,] darker than coal is their visage; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin is shriveled upon them; it has become dry as a stick.

They were at an advantage—those who died by the sword—over those who died of starvation, for they dripped, with burst bellies, from [eating] the produce of the fields.

Those slain with the sword are better than those slain with hunger: for when pierced through, the former do ooze with the produce of the fields.

More fortunate were those slain by the sword than those slain by hunger. For they [(the latter)] oozed [excrement] when [their bellies] split [(from hunger and)] from the fruits of the field [i.e., from the roots and grasses that they were forced to subsist on].

The hands of merciful women cooked their children. They became their food, when my people disintegrated.

Hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children: they were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

The hands of merciful women boiled their children. They were a meal to them in the breaking of the daughter of my people.

God spent His wrath, poured out His rage. He ignited a blaze in Tzion, and it consumed its foundations.

The Lord has accomplished his fury; he has poured out his fierce anger, and has kindled a fire in Żiyyon and it has devoured its foundations.

The L-rd has consummated His wrath [(which burned in Him for many years)]. He has poured out His burning wrath. And He has kindled a fire in Zion, which has consumed her foundations.

The kings of the earth did not believe nor did all the residents of the world [believe] that an oppressor or an enemy could enter the portals of Jerusalem.

The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy would enter the gates of Yerushalayim.

The kings of the earth could not believe, and all the inhabitants of the world, that the oppressor and the foe could enter the gates of Jerusalem.

For the sins of her false prophets, the transgressions of her kohanim, who spilled, within her, the blood of the righteous.

It was for the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the just in the midst of her.

Because of the sins of her prophets, the transgressions of her priests, the spilling in her midst of the blood of the righteous.

The blind slithered in the streets, filthied with blood, so that no one could bear touching their garments.

They wandered blind through the streets, polluted with blood, so that none could touch their garments.

The blind wandered in the streets, smeared with the blood [(of the slain, on which they slipped)]. [Their kin,] being unable to touch their garments —

“Get away, you are contaminated!” they shouted at them. Get away, get away, don’t touch!”, for they were obscene and slithering. They said, among the nations, “They will no longer reside here.”

Away! unclean! they cried at them; away! away! do not touch. So they fled, and wandered away: among the nations it was said, They shall no longer sojourn here.

Away! unclean ones, they cried out to them. Away! Away! do not touch. For they were befouled; they had also slipped [on the blood]. They said among the nations: They will not continue to live [here].

In Adonoy’s glaring anger, He dispersed them; He will no longer pay attention to them, because they did not venerate the kohanim, nor oblige the elders.

The anger of the Lord has divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they were not gracious to the elders.

The face [(of wrath)] of the L-rd has divided them [(among the nations)]. He will look on them no more, [for] they did not respect the priests; they were not gracious to the elders [(when they were at peace)].

We persisted in longingly eyeing illusive reinforcements, our yearning was for a nation that would never come to our aid.

As for us, our eyes do yet fail for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save.

[When the evil came upon us,] our eyes yet looked out for our vain help [(Egypt)], keeping a watch for a nation that would not save.

They lurked behind our footsteps, so that we couldn’t walk our streets, [we felt that] our end was near, our time was up, we were finished.

They hunt our steps, that we cannot walk in our broad places: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

They [(our enemies)] spied out our steps against walking in our broad places. Our end has drawn near. Our days have run full, for our end has come.

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the skies. They hounded us on the hills, laid ambush for us in the wilderness.

Our pursuers were swifter than the vultures in the sky: they chased us upon the mountains, they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.

Swifter were our pursuers than the eagles in the heavens. On the mountains they chased us; in the desert they lay in wait for us.

The breath of our nostrils, Adonoy’s anointed, was ensnared in their pitfalls, when we thought that under His shelter, we would survive among the nations.

The 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 nations.

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the L-rd [(King Yoshiyahu, viz. II Chronicles 35:25)] was caught in their pits — he of whom we said: Under his [(protective)] shadow shall we live among the nations.

Rejoice in gladness, city of Edom, residing in the land of Utz—unto you, as well, shall the come to pass, intoxicating you till you vomit.

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of ῾Uż; the cup shall also pass over to thee: thou shalt be drunken, and strip thyself bare.

[(Jeremiah now prophesies the destruction of the second Temple by the Romans:)] Rejoice and regale, O daughter of Edom, dweller in the land of Utz, [but] over you, too, will pass the cup [(of punishment)]. You will become drunk [on it] and vomit [it up]!

You have been fully chastised for your sins, city of Tzion. He will never exile you again. He remembers your sins, city of Edom, your iniquity is exposed.

The punishment of thy iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Żiyyon; he will no more carry thee away into exile: he will visit thy iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will uncover thy sins.

Your transgression is ended, O daughter of Zion [i.e., you have been punished for all of your sins]; He will exile you no more — He has remembered your transgression, O daughter of Edom; He has bared all of your sins [(for punishment)].