4:1 א (Alef)

¹ 

Alas! ²  Gold has lost its luster; ³ 

pure gold loses value. ⁴ 

Jewels ⁵  are scattered

on every street corner. ⁶ 

4:2 ב (Bet)

The precious sons of Zion

were worth their weight in gold –

Alas! – but now they are treated like ⁷  broken clay pots,

made by a potter. ⁸ 

4:3 ג (Gimel)

Even the jackals ⁹  nurse their young

at their breast, ¹⁰ 

but my people ¹¹  are cruel,

like ostriches ¹²  in the desert.

4:4 ד (Dalet)

The infant’s tongue sticks

to the roof of its mouth due to thirst;

little children beg for bread, ¹³ 

but no one gives them even a morsel. ¹⁴ 

4:5 ה (He)

Those who once feasted on delicacies ¹⁵ 

are now starving to death ¹⁶  in the streets.

Those who grew up ¹⁷  wearing expensive clothes ¹⁸ 

are now dying ¹⁹  amid garbage. ²⁰ 

4:6 ו (Vav)

The punishment ²¹  of my people ²² 

exceeded that of ²³  of Sodom,

which was overthrown in a moment

with no one to help her. ²⁴