2 The precious people of Jerusalemwere more valuable than gold,but now they are thought of as clay jarsmade by the hands of a potter.
3 Even wild dogs give their milkto feed their young,but my people are cruellike ostriches in the desert.
4 The babies are so thirstytheir tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths.Children beg for bread,but no one gives them any.
5 Those who once ate fine foodsare now starving in the streets.People who grew up wearing nice clothesnow pick through trash piles.
6 My people have been punishedmore than Sodom was.Sodom was destroyed suddenly,and no hands reached out to help her.
7 Our princes were purer than snow,and whiter than milk.Their bodies were redder than rubies;they looked like sapphires.
8 But now they are blacker than coal,and no one recognizes them in the streets.Their skin hangs on their bones;it is as dry as wood.