5:15 The Lord says, 1 “Listen, 2 nation of Israel! 3
I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you.
It will be a nation that was founded long ago
and has lasted for a long time.
It will be a nation whose language you will not know.
Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.
5:16 All of its soldiers are strong and mighty. 4
Their arrows will send you to your grave. 5
5:17 They will eat up your crops and your food.
They will kill off 6 your sons and your daughters.
They will eat up your sheep and your cattle.
They will destroy your vines and your fig trees. 7
Their weapons will batter down 8
the fortified cities you trust in.
1 tn Heb “oracle of the
2 tn Heb “Behold!”
3 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
4 tn Heb “All of them are mighty warriors.”
5 tn Heb “his quiver [is] an open grave.” The order of the lines has been reversed to make the transition from “nation” to “their arrows” easier.
6 tn Heb “eat up.”
7 tn Or “eat up your grapes and figs”; Heb “eat up your vines and your fig trees.”
8 tn Heb “They will beat down with the sword.” The term “sword” is a figure of speech (synecdoche) for military weapons in general. Siege ramps, not swords, beat down city walls; swords kill people, not city walls.