Lamentations 4:12-22

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.