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.