People writhe in fear when they see them. All of their faces turn pale with fright.

(4:1) For look! In those days and at that time I will return the exiles to Judah and Jerusalem.

They do not jostle one another; each of them marches straight ahead. They burst through the city defenses and do not break ranks.

Wail like a young virgin clothed in sackcloth, lamenting the death of her husband-to-be.

How awful that day will be! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come as destruction from the Divine Destroyer.

Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and boundless in loyal love – often relenting from calamitous punishment.