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Monday, July 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Lamentations 4:4

Babies are so thirsty their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths. Young children ask for bread, but no one gives them any.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Famine;   Malice;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abundance-Want;   Famine;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Bread;   Famine;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Bread;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Bread, Bread of Presence;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Zedekiah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Lamentations;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Famine and Drought;   Lamentations, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Acrostic;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Lord's Supper. (I.);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Bread;   Messiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hospitality;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The nursing baby’s tongueclings to the roof of his mouth from thirst.Infants beg for food,but no one gives them any.
Hebrew Names Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaks it to them.
King James Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
English Standard Version
The tongue of the nursing infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them.
New American Standard Bible
The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.
New Century Version
The babies are so thirsty their tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths. Children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.
Amplified Bible
The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for food, But no one gives it to them.
World English Bible
The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaks it to them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The tongue of the sucking childe cleaueth to the roofe of his mouth for thirst: the yong children aske bread, but no man breaketh it vnto them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The tongue of the infant cleaves To the roof of its mouth because of thirst; The little ones ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.
Legacy Standard Bible
The tongue of the nursing baby cleavesTo the roof of its mouth because of thirst;The infants ask for bread,But no one breaks it for them.
Berean Standard Bible
The nursing infant's tongue clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for bread, but no one gives them any.
Contemporary English Version
Babies are so thirsty that their tongues are stuck to the roof of the mouth. Children go begging for food, but no one gives them any.
Complete Jewish Bible
The tongue of the baby at the breast sticks to the roof of its mouth from thirst; young children are begging for bread, but no one is giving them any.
Darby Translation
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the young children ask bread, no man breaketh it unto them.
George Lamsa Translation
The tongue of the suckling child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the children ask bread, but no one breaks the loaf and gives it to them.
Good News Translation
They let their babies die of hunger and thirst; children are begging for food that no one will give them.
Lexham English Bible
The tongue of the nursling cleaves to its palate in thirst. Children beg for food, no one lays it out before them.
Literal Translation
The tongue of the nursling cleaves to his palate in thirst. The young children ask bread, but there is no breaking for them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The tonges of the suckinge children, cleue to ye rofe of their mouthes for very thurst. The yonge children axe bred, but there is noman, that geueth it them.
American Standard Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
Bible in Basic English
The tongue of the child at the breast is fixed to the roof of his mouth for need of drink: the young children are crying out for bread, and no man gives it to them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst; the young children ask bread, and none breaketh it unto them.
King James Version (1611)
The tongue of the sucking child cleaueth to the roofe of his mouth for thirst: the young children aske bread, and no man breaketh it vnto them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The tongues of the sucking chyldren cleaue to the roofe of their mouthes for very thyrst: the young chyldren aske bread, but there is no man that geueth it them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
DALETH. The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of its mouth for thirst: the little children ask for bread, and there is none to break it to them.
English Revised Version
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Deleth. The tonge of the soukynge childe cleued to his palat in thirst; litle children axiden breed, and noon was that brak to hem.
Update Bible Version
The tongue of the nursing child cleaves to the roof of his mouth for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaks it to them.
Webster's Bible Translation
The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, [and] no man breaketh [it] to them.
New English Translation

ד (Dalet)

The infant's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth due to thirst; little children beg for bread, but no one gives them even a morsel.
New King James Version
The tongue of the infant clings To the roof of its mouth for thirst; The young children ask for bread, But no one breaks it for them.
New Living Translation
The parched tongues of their little ones stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them.
New Life Bible
The baby's tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth because of thirst. The children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them.
New Revised Standard
The tongue of the infant sticks to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives them anything.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The tongue of the suckling, cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst, - Young children, have asked bread, there was none, to break, it to them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Daleth. The tongue of the sucking child hath stuck to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the little ones have asked for bread, and there was none to break it unto them.
Revised Standard Version
The tongue of the nursling cleaves to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food, but no one gives to them.
Young's Literal Translation
Cleaved hath the tongue of a suckling unto his palate with thirst, Infants asked bread, a dealer out they have none.
THE MESSAGE
Babies have nothing to drink. Their tongues stick to the roofs of their mouths. Little children ask for bread but no one gives them so much as a crust.

Contextual Overview

1 See how the gold has grown dark, how the pure gold has changed. There are jewels scattered all around at every street corner. 2 The precious people of Zion were once worth more than gold. But now they are treated like something worthless, like the cheap clay jars a potter makes. 3 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. 4 Babies are so thirsty their tongues stick to the roof of their mouths. Young children ask for bread, but no one gives them any. 5 Those who ate rich food are now dying in the streets. Those who grew up wearing nice red clothes now pick through garbage piles. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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. 10 Then even nice women cooked their own children. The children were food for their mothers. This happened when my people were destroyed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

tongue: Psalms 22:15, Psalms 137:6

the young: Lamentations 1:11, Lamentations 2:11, Lamentations 2:12, Deuteronomy 32:24, Matthew 7:9-11

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:25 - destroy 1 Kings 3:21 - give 2 Kings 25:3 - the famine Psalms 59:15 - for meat Isaiah 5:13 - honourable men are famished Isaiah 8:21 - hardly bestead Isaiah 32:12 - lament Isaiah 41:17 - their tongue Jeremiah 2:25 - Withhold Jeremiah 37:21 - until Jeremiah 47:3 - the fathers Jeremiah 52:6 - the famine Matthew 24:19 - General Mark 13:17 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
Cain went away from the Lord and lived in the land of Nod.
Genesis 4:17
Cain had sexual relations with his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Enoch. Cain built a city and gave the city the same name as his son Enoch.
Genesis 4:19
Lamech married two women. One wife was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal. Jabal was the father of people who live in tents and earn their living by keeping cattle.
Genesis 15:17
After the sun went down, it got very dark. The dead animals were still on the ground, each animal cut into two pieces. Then a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the dead animals.
Exodus 13:12
you must remember to give the Lord every firstborn boy. And every male animal that is the firstborn must also be given to the Lord .
Leviticus 9:24
Fire came out from the Lord and burned the burnt offering and fat on the altar. When all the people saw this, they shouted with joy and then bowed to the ground to show their respect.
Numbers 16:35
Then a fire came from the Lord and destroyed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Numbers 18:12
"And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. These are the things that the Israelites give to me, the Lord . These are the first things that they gather in their harvest.
Numbers 18:17
"But you must not make a payment for the firstborn cow, sheep, or goat. These animals are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a sweet-smelling gift to the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst,.... Through want of the milk of the breast, which is both food and drink unto it:

the young children ask bread; of their parents as usual, not knowing how the case was, that there was a famine in the city; these are such as were more grown, were weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts, and lived on other food, and were capable of asking for it:

[and] no man breaketh [it] unto them: distributes unto them, or gives them a piece of bread; not father, friend, or any other person; it not being in their power to do it, they having none for themselves.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Lamentations 4:4. The tongue of the sucking childLamentations 2:12.


 
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