Lamentations 4

¹Aleph. How is gold maad derk, the beste colour is chaungid? the stonys of the seyntuarie ben scaterid in the heed of alle stretis.

²Beth. The noble sones of Sion, and clothid with the best gold, hou ben thei arettid in to erthene vessels, in to the werk of the hondis of a pottere?

³Gimel. But also lamyes maden nakid her tetis, yauen mylk to her whelpis; the douyter of my puple is cruel, as an ostrig in desert.

⁴Deleth. The tonge of the soukynge childe cleued to his palat in thirst; litle children axiden breed, and noon was that brak to hem.

⁵He. Thei that eeten lustfuli, perischiden in weies; thei that weren nurschid in cradels, biclippiden toordis.

⁶Vau. And the wickidnesse of the douyter of my puple is maad more than the synne of men of Sodom, that was distried in a moment, and hondis token not therynne.

⁷Zai. Nazareis therof weren whitere than snow, schynyngere than mylk; rodier than elde yuer, fairere than safire.

⁸Heth. The face of hem was maad blackere than coolis, and thei weren not knowun in stretis; the skyn cleuyde to her boonys, it driede, and was maad as a tre.

⁹Teth. It was betere to men slayn with swerd, than to men slayn with hungur; for these men wexiden rotun, thei weren wastid of the bareynesse of erthe.

¹⁰Joth. The hondis of merciful wymmen sethiden her children; thei weren maad the metis of tho wymmen in the sorewe of the douyter of my puple.

¹¹Caph. The Lord fillide his strong veniaunce, he schedde out the ire of his indignacioun; and the Lord kyndlide a fier in Sion, and it deuouride the foundementis therof.

¹²Lamet. The kyngis of erthe, and alle dwelleris of the world bileueden not, that an aduersarie and enemy schulde entre bi the yatis of Jerusalem.

¹³Men. For the synnes of the profetis therof, and for wickidnessis of preestis therof, that schedden out the blood of iust men in the myddis therof.

¹⁴Nun. Blynde men erryden in stretis, thei weren defoulid in blood; and whanne thei miyten not go, thei helden her hemmes.

¹⁵Samet. Thei crieden to hem, Departe awei, ye defoulide men, departe ye, go ye awei, nyle ye touche; forsothe thei chidden, and weren stirid; thei seiden among hethene men, God schal no more leie to, that he dwelle among hem.

¹⁶Ayn. The face of the Lord departide hem, he schal no more leie to, that he biholde hem; thei weren not aschamed of the faces of preestis, nether thei hadden merci on eld men.

¹⁷Phe. The while we stoden yit, oure iyen failiden to oure veyn help; whanne we bihelden ententif to a folc, that myyte not saue vs.

¹⁸Sade. Oure steppis weren slidir in the weie of oure stretis; oure ende neiyede, oure daies weren fillid, for oure ende cam.

¹⁹Coph. Oure pursueris weren swiftere than the eglis of heuene; thei pursueden vs on hillis, thei settiden buschementis to vs in desert.

²⁰Res. The spirit of oure mouth, Crist the Lord, was takun in oure synnes; to whom we seiden, We schulen lyue in thi schadewe among hethene men.

²¹Syn. Thou douyter of Edom, make ioye, and be glad, that dwellist in the lond of Hus; the cuppe schal come also to thee, thou schalt be maad drunkun, and schalt be maad bare.

²²Thau. Thou douyter of Sion, thi wickidnesse is fillid; he schal not adde more, that he make thee to passe ouer; thou douyter of Edom, he schal visite thi wickidnesse, he schal vnhile thi synnes.

Lamentations 4

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

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 sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.

⁵They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

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

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.

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 the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

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, 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.

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 have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

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 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.

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 hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

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 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, 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 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.