Lamentations 4:12-22
Lamentations 4:12-22 The Message (MSG)
The kings of the earth couldn’t believe it. World rulers were in shock, Watching old enemies march in big as you please, right through Jerusalem’s gates. Because of the sins of her prophets and the evil of her priests, Who exploited good and trusting people, robbing them of their lives, These prophets and priests blindly grope their way through the streets, grimy and stained from their dirty lives, Wasted by their wasted lives, shuffling from fatigue, dressed in rags. People yell at them, “Get out of here, dirty old men! Get lost, don’t touch us, don’t infect us!” They have to leave town. They wander off. Nobody wants them to stay here. Everyone knows, wherever they wander, that they’ve been kicked out of their own hometown. GOD himself scattered them. No longer does he look out for them. He has nothing to do with the priests; he cares nothing for the elders. We watched and watched, wore our eyes out looking for help. And nothing. We mounted our lookouts and looked for the help that never showed up. They tracked us down, those hunters. It wasn’t safe to go out in the street. Our end was near, our days numbered. We were doomed. They came after us faster than eagles in flight, pressed us hard in the mountains, ambushed us in the desert. Our king, our life’s breath, the anointed of GOD, was caught in their traps— Our king under whose protection we always said we’d live. Celebrate while you can, O Edom! Live it up in Uz! For it won’t be long before you drink this cup, too. You’ll find out what it’s like to drink God’s wrath, Get drunk on God’s wrath and wake up with nothing, stripped naked. And that’s it for you, Zion. The punishment’s complete. You won’t have to go through this exile again. But Edom, your time is coming: He’ll punish your evil life, put all your sins on display.
Lamentations 4:12-22 King James Version (KJV)
The 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. For the sins of her prophets, And the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood Of the just in the midst of her, They have wandered as blind men in the streets, They have polluted themselves with blood, So that men could not touch Their garments. They 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. The 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. As 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. They hunt our steps, That we cannot go in our streets: Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; For our end is come. Our persecutors are swifter Than the eagles of the heaven: They pursued us upon the mountains, They laid wait for us in the wilderness. 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 heathen. Rejoice 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. The 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.
Lamentations 4:12-22 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem. Because of the sins of her prophets And the iniquities of her priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the righteous; They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments. “Depart! Unclean!” they cried of themselves. “Depart, depart, do not touch!” So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, “They shall not continue to dwell with us.” The presence of the LORD has scattered them, He will not continue to regard them; They did not honor the priests, They did not favor the elders. Yet our eyes failed, Looking for help was useless; In our watching we have watched For a nation that could not save. They hunted our steps So that we could not walk in our streets; Our end drew near, Our days were finished For our end had come. Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They chased us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness. The breath of our nostrils, the LORD’S anointed, Was captured in their pits, Of whom we had said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.” Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz; But the cup will come around to you as well, You will become drunk and make yourself naked. The punishment of your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion; He will exile you no longer. But He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins!
Lamentations 4:12-22 New Century Version (NCV)
Kings of the earth and people of the world could not believe that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. It happened because her prophets sinned and her priests did evil. They killed in the city those who did what was right. They wandered in the streets as if they were blind. They were dirty with blood, so no one would touch their clothes. “Go away! You are unclean,” people shouted at them. “Get away! Get away! Don’t touch us!” So they ran away and wandered. Even the other nations said, “Don’t stay here.” The LORD himself scattered them and did not look after them anymore. No one respects the priests or honors the elders. Also, our eyes grew tired, looking for help that never came. We kept watch from our towers for a nation to save us. Our enemies hunted us, so we could not even walk in the streets. Our end is near. Our time is up. Our end has come. Those who chased us were faster than eagles in the sky. They ran us into the mountains and ambushed us in the desert. The LORD’s appointed king, who was our very breath, was caught in their traps. We had said about him, “We will be protected by him among the nations.” Be happy and glad, people of Edom, you who live in the land of Uz. The cup of God’s anger will come to you; then you will get drunk and go naked. Your punishment is complete, Jerusalem. He will not send you into captivity again. But the LORD will punish the sins of Edom; he will uncover your evil.
Lamentations 4:12-22 American Standard Version (ASV)
The kings of the earth believed not, neither all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem. It is because of the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. They wander as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood, So that men cannot touch their garments. Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn here. The anger of Jehovah hath scattered them; he will no more regard them: They respected not the persons of the priests, they favored not the elders. Our eyes do yet fail in looking for our vain help: In our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save. They hunt our steps, so that we cannot go in our streets: Our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens: They chased us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits; Of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations. Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz: The cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. The 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 uncover thy sins.
Lamentations 4:12-22 New International Version (NIV)
The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the peoples of the world, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous. Now they grope through the streets as if they were blind. They are so defiled with blood that no one dares to touch their garments. “Go away! You are unclean!” people cry to them. “Away! Away! Don’t touch us!” When they flee and wander about, people among the nations say, “They can stay here no longer.” The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. The priests are shown no honor, the elders no favor. Moreover, our eyes failed, looking in vain for help; from our towers we watched for a nation that could not save us. People stalked us at every step, so we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near, our days were numbered, for our end had come. Our pursuers were swifter than eagles in the sky; they chased us over the mountains and lay in wait for us in the desert. The LORD’s anointed, our very life breath, was caught in their traps. We thought that under his shadow we would live among the nations. Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom, you who live in the land of Uz. But to you also the cup will be passed; you will be drunk and stripped naked. Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile. But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, and expose your wickedness.
Lamentations 4:12-22 New King James Version (NKJV)
The kings of the earth, And all inhabitants of the world, Would not have believed That the adversary and the enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem— Because of the sins of her prophets And the iniquities of her priests, Who shed in her midst The blood of the just. They wandered blind in the streets; They have defiled themselves with blood, So that no one would touch their garments. They cried out to them, “Go away, unclean! Go away, go away, Do not touch us!” When they fled and wandered, Those among the nations said, “They shall no longer dwell here.” The face of the LORD scattered them; He no longer regards them. The people do not respect the priests Nor show favor to the elders. Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us. They tracked our steps So that we could not walk in our streets. Our end was near; Our days were over, For our end had come. Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the heavens. They pursued us on the mountains And lay in wait for us in the wilderness. The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, Was caught in their pits, Of whom we said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.” Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, You who dwell in the land of Uz! The cup shall also pass over to you And you shall become drunk and make yourself naked. The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into captivity. He will punish your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will uncover your sins!
Lamentations 4:12-22 Amplified Bible (AMP)
The kings of the earth did not believe, Nor did any of the inhabitants of the earth, That the adversary (oppressor) and enemy Could enter the gates of Jerusalem. Because of the sins of her [counterfeit] prophets And the wickedness of her [unfaithful] priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the just and righteous; They wandered, blind, in the streets; They were defiled with blood So that no one could touch their garments. People cried to them, “Go away! Unclean! Depart! Depart! Do not touch!” So they fled, then they wandered [as fugitives]; People among the nations said, “They shall not stay here any longer with us.” The presence of the LORD scattered them [among the nations]; He will not continue to look after them. They did not honor the priests; They did not favor the elders. [And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save. [Ezek 29:16] The enemy hunted our steps, So that we could not walk in our streets; Our end drew near, Our days were finished For our end had come. Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They pursued us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness. The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD [our king], Was captured in their snares, He of whom we had said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.” Rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, Who lives in the land of Uz. But the cup [of the wine of God’s wrath] will pass to you as well; You will become drunk and make yourself naked. [Jer 25:17] The punishment of your sin has been completed, O Daughter of Zion; The LORD will no longer send you into exile. But He will punish your sin, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins. [Ps 137:7]
Lamentations 4:12-22 New Living Translation (NLT)
Not a king in all the earth— no one in all the world— would have believed that an enemy could march through the gates of Jerusalem. Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the sins of her priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood. They wandered blindly through the streets, so defiled by blood that no one dared touch them. “Get away!” the people shouted at them. “You’re defiled! Don’t touch us!” So they fled to distant lands and wandered among foreign nations, but none would let them stay. The LORD himself has scattered them, and he no longer helps them. People show no respect for the priests and no longer honor the leaders. We looked in vain for our allies to come and save us, but we were looking to nations that could not help us. We couldn’t go into the streets without danger to our lives. Our end was near; our days were numbered. We were doomed! Our enemies were swifter than eagles in flight. If we fled to the mountains, they found us. If we hid in the wilderness, they were waiting for us there. Our king—the LORD’s anointed, the very life of our nation— was caught in their snares. We had thought that his shadow would protect us against any nation on earth! Are you rejoicing in the land of Uz, O people of Edom? But you, too, must drink from the cup of the LORD’s anger. You, too, will be stripped naked in your drunkenness. O beautiful Jerusalem, your punishment will end; you will soon return from exile. But Edom, your punishment is just beginning; soon your many sins will be exposed.
Lamentations 4:12-22 The Passion Translation (TPT)
No king believed, nor anyone anywhere, that a hostile foe could ever break through the gates of Jerusalem. Yet this happened because of the sins of her prophets and the crimes of her priests, who shed innocent blood in the heart of the city. They wandered blindly through the city and were so defiled with blood that no one dared to even touch their clothes. “Get away! Unclean!” people shouted at them. “Keep back! Keep back! Don’t touch!” So, they fled Jerusalem and wandered to the nations, but they were not welcome to stay there either. The face of YAHWEH scattered them; he will look on them no more. They had no respect for the priests, no honor for her leaders. We strained our eyes continually and looked, watching for help that never came. From our watchtowers we waited for a nation to help, for a nation that could not save us. Men stalked us so that we could not walk on our streets. Our end drew near, our time ran out, for our end had come. Our pursuers were swifter than eagles in the sky; they hunted us on the mountains and lay in ambush for us in the wilderness. They captured YAHWEH’s anointed leader, our king; the hope of our survival was caught in their traps. We thought that under his protective shadow we would live among the nations. Go ahead, you people of Edom and Uz, laugh on and be glad like nothing will happen to you! Your day is coming to drink from this cup; you will get drunk and stagger naked. Your punishment is over, fair daughter of Zion. YAHWEH will never send you away into exile again. But people of Edom, he will punish your wickedness and expose your sins.
Lamentations 4:12-22 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
The 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. This 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. They wandered, blind, through the streets; they were so defiled with blood that no one was able to touch their garments. “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.” The LORD himself has scattered them; he will regard them no more; no honor was shown to the priests, no favor to the elders. Our eyes failed, ever watching vainly for help; in our watching we watched for a nation which could not save. They 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. Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles in the heavens; they chased us on the mountains; they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. The 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.” Rejoice 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. The 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.