The Punishment of Jerusalem
The Prophet Speaks:
1 The purest gold is ruined
and has lost its shine;
jewels from the temple
lie scattered in the streets.
2 These are Zion's people,
worth more than purest gold;
yet they are counted worthless
like dishes of clay.
3 Even jackals nurse their young,
but my people are like ostriches
that abandon their own.
4 Babies are so thirsty
that their tongues are stuck
to the roof of the mouth.
Children go begging for food,
but no one gives them any.
5 All who ate expensive foods
lie starving in the streets;
those who grew up in luxury
now sit on trash heaps.
6 My nation was punished worse
than the people of Sodom,
whose city was destroyed
in a flash without the help
of human hands.
7 The leaders of Jerusalem
were purer than snow
and whiter than milk;
their bodies were healthy
and glowed like jewels.
8 Now they are blacker than tar,
and no one recognizes them;
their skin clings to their bones
and is drier than firewood.
9 Being killed with a sword
is better than slowly
starving to death.
10 Life in the city is so bad
that loving mothers have boiled
and eaten their own children.
11 The Lord was so fiercely angry
that he burned the city of Zion
to the ground.
12 Not a king on this earth
or the people of any nation
believed enemies could break
through her gates.
13 Jerusalem was punished because
her prophets and her priests
had sinned and caused the death
of innocent victims.
14 Yes, her prophets and priests
were covered with blood;
no one would come near them,
as they wandered
from street to street.
15 Instead, everyone shouted,
“Go away! Don't touch us!
You're filthy and unfit
to belong to God's people!”
So they had to leave
and become refugees.
But foreign nations told them,
“You can't stay here!”
16 The Lord is the one
who sent them scattering,
and he has forgotten them.
No respect or kindness
will be shown
to the priests or leaders.
17 Our eyes became weary,
hopelessly looking
for help from a nation
that could not save us.
18 Enemies hunted us down
on every public street.
Our time was up;
our doom was near.
19 They swooped down faster
than eagles from the sky.
They hunted for us in the hills
and set traps to catch us
out in the desert.
20 The Lord's chosen leader
was our hope for survival!
We thought he would keep us safe
somewhere among the nations,
but even he was caught
in one of their traps.
21 You people of Edom
can celebrate now!
But your time will come
to suffer and stagger
around naked.
22 The people of Zion
have paid for their sins,
and the Lord will soon
let them return home.
But, people of Edom,
you will be punished,
and your sins exposed.
أورشليم بعد سقوطها
1 كَيفَ اغْبَرَّ الذَّهَبُ
وتغَيَّرَ النُضارُ الخالِصُ
وانهالَتِ الحِجارة المُقَدَّسَةُ
في رأسِ كُلِّ شارعٍ.
2 بَنو صِهيَونَ الكِرامُ،
وهُمُ المَوزونونَ بِالإبريزِ،
كَيفَ يُحسَبونَ آنيةً
صنَعَتْها يَدَا خَزَّافٍ!
3 حتّى بناتُ آوى
تُعطي ثَدْيَها لِصِغارِها.
أمَّا بِنْتُ شعبـي فقاسيةٌ
مِثلَ النَّعامِ في البرِّيَّةِ.
4 يَلصَقُ لِسانُ الرَّضيعِ
بِـحَنَكِهِ مِنَ العَطَشِ.
والأطفالُ يَطلُبونَ خُبزا
ولا مَنْ يُعطيهِم كِسْرةً.
5 الّذينَ يأَكُلونَ الطَّيِّباتِ
ماتوا جوعا في الطُّرُقاتِ
والذينَ تَرَبَّوا في الحَريرِ
يَنبُشونَ الطَّعامَ في المَزابِلِ.
6 عِقابُ بِنْتِ شعبـي
أينَ مِنهُ عِقابُ سَدومَ،
تِلكَ الّتي انهَدَمَت في لَحظَةٍ
على يَدِ اللهِ.
7 كانَ شُبَّانُها أنقَى مِنَ الثَّلجِ
وأكثرَ بَياضا مِنَ اللَّبَنِ
وأزهى أجساما مِنَ المَرجانِ،
ولونُ بَشَرَتِهِم كاللاّزَوَرْدِ.
8 وجوهُهُمُ اسوَدَّت أكثرَ مِنَ السَّوادِ
فلا يُعرَفونَ في الشَّوارعِ.
جُلودُهُم لَصِقَت بِــعِظامِهِم
ويَبِسَت كالخَشَبِ.
9 كانَ القَتْلَى بِالسَّيفِ فيها
خَيرا مِنَ القَتْلَى بِالجوعِ.
أُولَئِكَ ماتوا بِطَعنَةٍ
مِنْ فُقدانِ ثِمارِ الحقلِ.
10 حتّى النِّساءُ الحنوناتُ
طَبَخْنَ أولادَهُنَّ،
فكانوا لهُنَّ طَعاما
في نَكبةِ بِنْتِ شعبـي.
11 حقَّقَ الرّبُّ غَيظَهُ
وصَبَّ حِدَّةَ غضَبِهِ
فأشعَلَ نارا في صِهيَونَ
أَكَلَت أُسُسَها.
12 مُلوكُ الأرضِ لم يُصَدِّقوا
ولا سُكَّانُ العالَمِ
أنَّ الطُّغاةَ والأعداءَ
يَدخلونَ أبوابَ أُورُشليمَ.
13 فأنبـياؤُها خَطِئوا
وكَهَنَتُها ارتكَبوا الآثامَ،
سَفكوا دَمَ الأبرارِ
في وسَطِ المدينةِ
14 تاهوا كالعُميانِ في الشَّوارعِ
وتَلَطَّخوا تَلطيخا بِالدَّمِ،
فلم يَتحَمَّلْ أحدٌ
أنْ يَلمسَ مَلابِسَهُ.
15 نادوهُم: «حِيدوا أيُّها الأنجاسُ!
حِيدوا، حِيدوا لا تَلمسوا».
فهَرَبوا وتاهوا بَينَ الأمَمِ،
حَيثُ لم يُسكِنْهُم أحدٌ.
16 وجهُ الرّبِّ شَتَّتَهُم
ولا يَعودُ يَنظُرُ إليهِم.
فلا إكرامَ لِلكَهنَةِ
ولا رَأْفةَ بِالشُّيوخِ.
17 كَلَّت عيونُنا عَبَثا
مِنِ انتِظارِ العَونِ،
مِنْ أَبراجِنا تَرَقَّبْنا
نَجْدةَ أُمَّةٍ لا تُنجِدُ.
18 أعداؤُنا تَرَصَّدوا خطَواتِنا
لِئلاَّ نَسيرَ في شوارِعِنا.
اقتَرَبَت عاقِبَتُنا وتَمَّت أيّامُنا
لأنَّ أجَلَنا وافى.
19 كانَ الّذينَ طارَدونا
أَخَفَّ مِنْ نُسورِ السَّماءِ
تَتَبَّعوا خطَواتِنا على الجِبالِ
وكَمَنوا لنا في البرِّيَّةِ.
20 مَلِكُنا الّذي اختارَهُ الرّبُّ،
أوقَعوهُ في حَبائِلِهِم
وهوَ الّذي قُلنا: «في ظِلِّهِ نَحيا
بَينَ الأمَمِ».
21 إبتَهجي وافرَحي يا بِنْتَ أَدومَ،
أيَّتُها السَّاكِنَةُ في أرضِ عُوصَ.
علَيكِ أيضا سَتَمُرُّ الكأسُ
فتَسكَرينَ وتُظهِرينَ عُريَكِ.
22 زالَ إثْمُكِ يا بِنْتَ صِهيَونَ،
فلا يعودُ يَسبـيكِ الرّبُّ.
لكِنَّهُ يُعاقِبُ إثْمَكِ يا بِنْتَ أَدومَ
ويكشِفُ عَنْ خطاياكِ.
