1 How 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. 2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! 3 Even 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. 4 The 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. 5 They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. 6 For 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. 7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: 8 Their 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. 9 They 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. 10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. 11 The 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. 12 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.
13 ¶ 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, 14 They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. 15 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 . 16 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. 17 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 . 18 They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come. 19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. 20 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.
21 ¶ 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.
22 ¶ 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.
Shule kwe kuwa kwe Jerusalema
1 Golide yatundubala seni,
golide mbuyanana yashanduka kwakatini!
Mabgwe akayengemala atjipalala ku phelelo dze zijana.
2 Bakololo babuya be Ziyoni bakabe
betolegwa pezhugwi se golide,
botjitogwa se hali dzakabumbiwa nge ntapkhwi,
dzithamiwa nge maboko e mbumbi.
3 Ne phungubgwe dumbu dzomwisa bana badzo mazhamu,
koga bathu bangu bana mimoyo mikukutu,
banonga phowu mu tjilambanyika.
4 Nge nyota malimi e ngawana
akanamatila bgwasha,
bana banokumbila tjiwunga,
koga akuna unobapa itjo.
5 Ibabo bakabe beja zojiwa zwakatini,
bo bulawa nge zhala mu dzizila.
Ibabo bakakula beambala zwiambalo
zwe mbala we bushaba gwakabondelela,
babe gele mu zwizhalanlota.
6 Lobgwa shamu kwe bathu bangu kukulu
kupinda kwe Sodoma,
iyo yakakolomogwa tjinyolotjo,
kusina ne ng'ompela ungabhatsha.
7 Bakololo be bushe bakabe bepenya kupinda kapuku
bali batjena kupinda nkaka,
mibili yabo ili mishaba kupinda thakwala,
mavudzi abo enga safire.
8 Koga ngwenu babe batematema se masitu,
akuna unoziba kuti ndiboani mu dzizila.
Ganda labo lakanamatila mafupa abo,
lakawomelela se lukuni.
9 Bakabulawa nge thumo banoyita,
muna ibabo banobulawa nge zhala,
ibabo banothukudzika ngoshaya zojiwa mu minda.
10 Maboko e bakadzi bana mahwilo ngoni,
akabhika bana babo,
bakabathama zojiwa zwabo,
ha bakanyi kwangu belobesiwa.
11 Yahwe bakazhulila bushongola gwabo,
bakatebula gwadzamoyo kwabo kunopisa,
bakabhatidza moto mu Ziyoni
ukaja thiwa dzayo.
12 Bomambo be shango bakasidume,
nanga ibo bathu be shango,
kuti zwita kene babulayi bangangina ne mikoba ye Jerusalema.
13 Koga kwakashingikala ngekwe zwibi zwe balebesambeli bayo,
ne ngekwe milandu ye bapirisiti bayo,
ibo bakatebula malopa e balulwami
pakati kwayo.
14 Bolungayila se mapofu mu dzizila,
bakatemapadziwa nge malopa,
kusina iye ungakutha zwiambalo zwabo.
15 Bathu banobamimilila beti, “Kutjena naswi! Makatemapala!
Kutjena naswi! Kutjena naswi! Musitongotikutha!”
Abetizha bebe bebe zwitendeleki ne balungaili,
bathu pakati kwe zwitjaba banoti,
“Abangatja gale naswi kakale!”
16 Yahwe ndibo bakabapaladza,
abatjina hanya.
Abatokudza bapirisiti,
abatoteta sholotjena.
17 Mesho edu anonyala,
akalingilila suli kubhatshiwa,
mu thungamakole takalingilila
itjaba tjisingake tjikatitjidza.
18 Zwita zwedu zwakativima
pamwe ne pamwe patinotshamba,
kuti ndizo tisiyendayende mu dzizila dzedu.
Bhelelo ledu lasendela,
mazhuba edu mashomanana,
ngoti bhelelo ledu latjiswika.
19 Batatamili bedu banovirima kupinda madzu ku zhuzhugwi,
bakatitatamila pezhugwi kwe matombo,
bakatilalila mu tjilambanyika.
20 Meya ye bupenyu gwedu iye Nzhodziwa wa Yahwe
iye wakabe ali iye kugalabgwe kwedu,
bakambata nge mapuzhu abo,
takabe tikumbula titi, “Kusi kwe ntutshi uwe
towotjila pakati kwe zwitjaba.”
21 Shatha upembele iwe nkololokadzi we Edomu,
iwe n'gali mu shango ye Uzi,
koga nawebo bhepe lowopinda pakuli,
unowong'wa ukalaladza ukazwiambula zwiambalo.
22 Iwe nkololokadzi we Ziyoni,
lobgwa shamu kuko kowopela,
abatjokugadza mu butapiwa,
koga ngekwe nlandu uwo iwe nkololokadzi we Edomu,
banowokuloba shamu,
banowodusila jinyo lilo pa tjena!