<p class="poetry">Destructive forces will come against her false prophets;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they will be shown to be fools!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Destructive forces will come against her soldiers;p> <p class="poetry">they will be filled with terror!<n id="3" />p>

He will come and attack Egypt. Those who are destined to die of disease will die of disease. Those who are destined to be carried off into exile will be carried off into exile. Those who are destined to die in war will die in war.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">Destructive forces will come against her horses and her<n id="1" /> chariots.p> <p class="poetry">Destructive forces will come against all the foreign troops within her;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they will be as frightened as women!<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Destructive forces will come against her treasures;p> <p class="poetry">they will be taken away as plunder!p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;It did no good for me to punish your people.p> <p class="poetry">They did not respond to such correction.p> <p class="poetry">You slaughtered your prophetsp> <p class="poetry">like a voracious lion.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Do not go out into the countryside.p> <p class="poetry">Do not travel on the roads.p> <p class="poetry">For the enemy is there with sword in hand.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They are spreading terror everywhere.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro<n id="1" /> and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The people of Israel who survivedp> <p class="poetry">death at the hands of the enemy<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">will find favor in the wildernessp> <p class="poetry">as they journey to find rest for themselves.p>

I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt with war, starvation, and disease just as I punished Jerusalem.

<p class="poetry">How long will you cry out,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Oh, sword of the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">how long will it be before you stop killing?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Go back into your sheath!p> <p class="poetry">Stay there and rest!&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s work!p> <p class="poetry">A curse on anyone who keeps from carrying out his destruction!<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Destructive forces will come against the Babylonians,&#8221;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;They will come against the people who inhabit Babylonia,p> <p class="poetry">against her leaders and her men of wisdom.p>

I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my name. They may be saying, &#8216;No war or famine will happen in this land.&#8217; But I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say this about<n id="1" /> them: &#8216;War and starvation will kill those prophets.&#8217;<n id="2" />

If they ask you, &#8216;Where should we go?&#8217; tell them the <sc>Lordsc> says this:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease.p> <p class="poetry">Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war.p> <p class="poetry">Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation.p> <p class="poetry">Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">So let their children die of starvation.p> <p class="poetry">Let them be cut down by the sword.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Let their wives lose their husbands and children.p> <p class="poetry">Let the older men die of disease<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and the younger men die by the sword in battle.p>

For the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;I will make both you and your friends terrified of what will happen to you.<n id="1" /> You will see all of them die by the swords of their enemies.<n id="2" /> I will hand all the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will carry some of them away into exile in Babylon and he will kill others of them with the sword.

<p class="bodytext">In response to all this<n id="1" /> I said, &#8220;Ah, Lord <sc>Godsc>,<n id="2" /> you have surely allowed<n id="3" /> the people of Judah and Jerusalem<n id="4" /> to be deceived by those who say, &#8216;You will be safe!&#8217;<n id="5" /> But in fact a sword is already at our throats.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;These people have denied what the <sc>Lordsc> says.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They have said, &#8216;That is not so!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">No harm will come to us.p> <p class="poetry">We will not experience war and famine.<n id="3" />p>

I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors<n id="1" /> have known anything about. I will send people chasing after them with swords<n id="2" /> until I have destroyed them.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

So the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;I will surely<n id="2" /> punish them! Their young men will be killed in battle.<n id="3" /> Their sons and daughters will die of starvation.

Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives.<n id="1" />