Lamentations 4:15

Green's Literal Translation

They cried out to them, Depart! Unclean! Depart, depart! Touch not! Indeed they fled and reeled. They said among the nations, They will not continue to live there.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Stay away! Unclean!” people shouted at them.“Away, away! Don’t touch us!” So they wandered aimlessly.It was said among the nations,“They can stay here no longer.”

Hebrew Names Version
Depart you, they cried to them, Unclean! depart, depart, don't touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn [here].

King James Version
They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

English Standard Version
"Away! Unclean!" people cried at them. "Away! Away! Do not touch!" So they became fugitives and wanderers; people said among the nations, "They shall stay with us no longer."

New American Standard Bible
"Keep away! Unclean!" they cried out of themselves. "Keep away, keep away, do not touch!" For they distanced themselves as well as wandered; People among the nations said, "They shall not continue to reside with us."

New Century Version
"Go away! You are unclean," people shouted at them. "Get away! Get away! Don't touch us!" So they ran away and wandered. Even the other nations said, "Don't stay here."

Amplified Bible
People cried to them, "Go away! Unclean! Depart! Depart! Do not touch!" So they fled, then they wandered [as fugitives]; People among the nations said, "They shall not stay here any longer with us."

World English Bible
Depart you, they cried to them, Unclean! depart, depart, don't touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn [here].

Geneva Bible (1587)
But they cried vnto them, Depart, ye polluted, depart, depart, touch not: therefore they fled away, and wandered: they haue sayd among the heathen, They shal no more dwell there.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Depart! Unclean!" they cried of themselves. "Depart, depart, do not touch!" So they fled and wandered; Men among the nations said, "They shall not continue to dwell with us."

Legacy Standard Bible
"Depart! Unclean!" they cried of themselves."Depart, depart, do not touch!"So they fled and wandered;Men among the nations said,"They shall not continue to sojourn with us."

Berean Standard Bible
"Go away! Unclean!" men shouted at them. "Away, away! Do not touch us!" So they fled and wandered. Among the nations it was said, "They can stay here no longer."

Contemporary English Version
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!"

Complete Jewish Bible
"Keep away! Unclean!" people shout at them, "Keep away! Away! Don't touch us!" They flee, to wander here and there; but no nation allows them to stay.

Darby Translation
They cried unto them, Depart! Unclean! Depart! depart, touch not! When they fled away, and wandered about, it was said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn [there].

Easy-to-Read Version
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."

George Lamsa Translation
Separate yourselves from them, call them unclean; depart, depart, do not touch them; for they have caused provocations and are troubled; among the Gentiles the people said, They shall no more sojourn there.

Good News Translation
"Get away!" people shouted. "You're defiled! Don't touch me!" So they wandered from nation to nation, welcomed by no one.

Lexham English Bible
"Go away! Defiled!" they shout to them. "Go away! Go away! Do not touch!" so they left, they left; it was said among the nations, "They will no longer dwell with us."

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But they cried vnto euery ma: fle the staynynge, awaye, get you hece, touch it not. Yee (sayde they) ye must be brent, ye must dwell amonge the Gentiles, & byde no longer here.

American Standard Version
Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn here.

Bible in Basic English
Away! unclean! they were crying out to them, Away! away! let there be no touching: when they went away in flight and wandering, men said among the nations, There is no further resting-place for them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Depart ye! unclean!' men cried unto them, 'Depart, depart, touch not'; yea, they fled away and wandered; men said among the nations: 'They shall no more sojourn here.'

King James Version (1611)
They cryed vnto them; Depart yee, it is vncleane, depart, depart, touch not, when they fled away and wandred: they said among the heathen, They shall no more soiourne there.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But they cryed vnto them, flee ye polluted, away, get you hence, touche not: for they are vncleane and be remoued, yea they haue said among the heathen, they shall no more dwell in this citie.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
SAMECH. Depart ye from the unclean ones: call ye them: depart, depart, touch them not: for they are on fire, yea, they stagger: say ye among the nations, They shall no more sojourn there.

English Revised Version
Depart ye, they cried unto them, Unclean! depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn here.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Samet. Thei crieden to hem, Departe awei, ye defoulide men, departe ye, go ye awei, nyle ye touche; forsothe thei chidden, and weren stirid; thei seiden among hethene men, God schal no more leie to, that he dwelle among hem.

Update Bible Version
Depart, they cried to them, Unclean! depart, depart, don't touch! When they fled away and wandered, men said among the nations, They shall no more sojourn [here].

Webster's Bible Translation
They cried to them, Depart ye; [it is] unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn [there].

New English Translation

ס (Samek)

People cry to them, "Turn away! You are unclean! Turn away! Turn away! Don't touch us!" So they have fled and wander about; but the nations say, "They may not stay here any longer."

New King James Version
They cried out to them, "Go away, unclean! Go away, go away, Do not touch us!" When they fled and wandered, Those among the nations said, "They shall no longer dwell here."

New Living Translation
"Get away!" the people shouted at them. "You're defiled! Don't touch us!" So they fled to distant lands and wandered among foreign nations, but none would let them stay.

New Life Bible
People cried to them, "Go away! You are unclean! Leave! Go away! Do not touch!" So they ran away and traveled from place to place. Men among the nations said, "They must not stay with us any longer."

New Revised Standard
"Away! Unclean!" people shouted at them; "Away! Away! Do not touch!" So they became fugitives and wanderers; it was said among the nations, "They shall stay here no longer."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Turn aside! Unclean! have they cried to them, Turn aside! Turn aside! Do not touch! because they have fled, yea, wandered, Men said among the nations, They will not again tarry;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Samech. Depart you that are defiled, they cried out to them: Depart, get ye hence, touch not: for they quarrelled, and being removed, they said among the Gentiles: He will no more dwell among them.

Revised Standard Version
"Away! Unclean!" men cried at them; "Away! Away! Touch not!" So they became fugitives and wanderers; men said among the nations, "They shall stay with us no longer."

Young's Literal Translation
`Turn aside -- unclean,' they called to them, `Turn aside, turn aside, touch not,' For they fled -- yea, they have wandered, They have said among nations: `They do not add to sojourn.'

THE MESSAGE
People yell at them, "Get out of here, dirty old men! Get lost, don't touch us, don't infect us!" They have to leave town. They wander off. Nobody wants them to stay here. Everyone knows, wherever they wander, that they've been kicked out of their own hometown.

Contextual Overview

¹³ Because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, pouring out the blood of the righteous in her midst, ¹⁴ they reeled blind in the open places. They are defiled with blood, so that not any are able to touch their garments. ¹⁵ They cried out to them, Depart! Unclean! Depart, depart! Touch not! Indeed they fled and reeled. They said among the nations, They will not continue to live there. ¹⁶ The face of Jehovah has divided them out; He will not continue to look on them. They did not lift up the face of the priests, they did not favor the elders. ¹⁷ While here we are, our eyes fail for our vain help. In our watching, we have watched for a nation; it does not save. ¹⁸ They hunted our steps from going in our open places. Our end came near, our days were fulfilled, for our end had come. ¹⁹ Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens; they hotly pursued us on the mountains; they lay in wait for us in the wilderness. ²⁰ The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was captured in their pits; of whom we said, In His shadow we will live among the nations.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:45 - Unclean Leviticus 26:33 - General Isaiah 23:12 - there also Jeremiah 9:19 - our Jeremiah 33:24 - thus Lamentations 1:8 - all Lamentations 1:17 - Jerusalem Lamentations 2:9 - her king Lamentations 3:45 - as Zechariah 8:13 - a curse

Cross-References

Genesis 4:24
For Cain is avenged sevenfold, and Lamech seventy seven.

Leviticus 26:18
And if after these things you will not listen to Me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sin;

Leviticus 26:21
And if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to listen to Me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins,

Leviticus 26:24
then I, I also, shall walk contrary to you, and shall smite you, even I, seven times more for your sins;

Leviticus 26:28
then I also will walk contrary to you in fury. I also will chastise you, I also, seven times for your sins.

1 Kings 16:7
And also by the hand of Jehu the son of Hanani the prophet, the Word of Jehovah came against Baasha, and against his house, and against all the evil that he did in the eyes of Jehovah to provoke Him to anger with the work of his hands, to belike the house of Jeroboam, and because he killed him.

Psalms 59:11
Do not kill them, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power and bring them down, O Jehovah our shield.

Psalms 79:12
And reward our neighbors sevenfold. Give into their bosom their curse with which they have cursed You, O Lord.

Proverbs 6:31
But if he is found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the goods of his house.

Ezekiel 9:4
And Jehovah said to him, Pass through in the midst of the city, in the midst of Jerusalem, and mark a mark on the foreheads of the men who are groaning and are mourning over all the abominations that are done in her midst.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

They cried unto them, depart ye, [it is] unclean,.... Or, O ye "unclean" e; that is, the people said so to the priests, being polluted with blood; they abhorred them, did not care they should come nigh them, but bid them keep at distance; they that cleansed others of leprosy were treated as leprous persons themselves, and proclaimed unclean, and shunned as such: and, to show their vehement abhorrence of them, repeated the words,

depart, depart, touch not: that is, touch us not; they who had used to say; to others, stand by yourselves, we are more holy than you, being the Lord's priests and prophets, are treated after the same manner themselves:

when they fled away, and wandered; fled from the city, and wandered among the nations; or when they were swiftly carried away captives, and became vagabonds in other countries:

they said among the Heathens, they shall no more sojourn [there]; being among the Heathens, they took notice of them as very wicked men, and said concerning them, now they are carried out of their own land, they shall never return there any more, and dwell in Jerusalem, and officiate in the temple, as they had formerly done.

e טמא "immunde", Montanus; "immundi", Strigelius. "gens polluta", Vatablus; "discedite polluti", Gataker.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Men cried to these priests, “Away! Unclean! Away! Away! Touch not.” “Unclean” was the cry of the leper whenever he appeared in public: here it is the warning shout of those who meet the murderers.

When they fled away and wandered - These priests fled away from the city, but with uncertain steps, not knowing where to find refuge. They find themselves abhorred abroad as well as at home.

It is quite possible that this verse records a real occurrence, if not during the siege, at all events during the last years of Zedekiah’s reign.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 15. When they fled away — These priests and prophets were so bad, that the very heathen did not like to permit them to sojourn among them. The prophet now resumes the history of the siege.