Lamentations 4:1-11

How the gold has lost its luster! How the pure gold has lost its value! The sacred stones lie scattered at the corner of every street. The precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in the finest gold, are now regarded as jars of clay made by a potter’s hands. Even the vicious jackal is kind enough to nurse her young, but the daughter of my people is as cruel as the desert ostrich. The nursing babies have such thirst that their tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths. Little children ask for bread, but no one gives them a crumb. Those who used to feast on delicacies now lie dying in the streets. Those who were raised in luxury now huddle in garbage dumps. The punishment of my beloved people exceeded the judgment of sinful Sodom, which was suddenly destroyed without an army attacking her. Israel’s nobility was once brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies glowed with health and glistened like jewels. Now their faces are emaciated; they are not even recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones, as dry as a stick. Better are those killed by the sword than those killed by famine. They slowly starve to death for lack of food. The hands of caring women cooked their own children; they became their food when my beloved people were destroyed. At the peak of YAHWEH’s wrath, he vented his fierce anger! He lit a fire in Zion and burned it down to the ground.

Free Reading Plans and Devotionals related to Lamentations 4:1-11