The people of Zion were worth a lot. They were worth their weight in gold. But now the enemy treats them like old clay jars. The enemy treats them like clay jars made by a potter.
Even a wild dog feeds her babies. Even the jackal lets her pups suck at her breast. But the daughter of my people is cruel. She is like the ostrich in the desert that forgets its eggs in the sand.
The sin of the daughter of my people was very great. Their sin was greater than the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed suddenly. No human hand caused their destruction.
Some of the men of Judah were dedicated to God in a special way. They were very pure. They were whiter than snow, and whiter than milk. Their bodies were red like coral and their beards like sapphire stones.
But now their faces are blacker than soot. No one even recognizes them in the streets. Their skin is wrinkled over their bones. Their skin is like wood.
It was better for those who were killed by the sword than for those who died of hunger. Those starving people were sad and hurt. They died because they got no food from the field.
The kings of the earth could not believe what had happened. The people of the world could not believe what had happened. They could not believe that enemies would be able to come through the city gates of Jerusalem.
This happened because the prophets of Jerusalem sinned. This happened because the priests of Jerusalem did evil things. They were shedding the blood of good people in the city of Jerusalem.
The prophets and priests walked around like blind men in the streets. They had become dirty with blood. No one could even touch their clothes because they were dirty.
People shouted, "Go away! Go away! Don't touch us." They wandered around and had no home. People in other nations said, "We don't want them to live with us."
We have worn out our eyes looking for help, but no help comes. We kept on looking for a nation to save us. We kept watch from our watchtower, but no nation came to us.
The king was very important to us. He was like the breath we breathe, but he was trapped by them. The Lord himself chose the king, and we said this about the king, "We will live in his shadow. He protects us from the nations."
Be happy, people of Edom. Be happy, you who live in the land of Uz. But remember, the cup of the Lord's anger will come around to you too. When you drink from that cup, you will get drunk and strip off all your clothes.
Your punishment is complete, Zion. You will not go into captivity again. But the Lord will punish your sins, people of Edom. He will uncover your sins.