<p class="poetry">For they flee from the swords &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">from the drawn swordp> <p class="poetry">and from the battle-ready bowp> <p class="poetry">and from the severity of the battle.p>

<p class="poetry">Those who think they are wise are as good as dead,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">those who think they possess understanding.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">They panic &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">cramps and pain seize hold of themp> <p class="poetry">like those of a woman who is straining to give birth.p> <p class="poetry">They look at one another in astonishment;p> <p class="poetry">their faces are flushed red.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">when he shouts at<n id="2" /> them, they will flee to a distant land,p> <p class="poetry">driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,p> <p class="poetry">or like dead thistles<n id="3" /> before a strong gale.p>

<p class="poetry">I will wait patiently for the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">who has rejected the family of Jacob;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will wait for him.p>

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the <sc>Lordsc>,

<p class="poetry"><v id="(63:19b)" /><n id="1" /> If only you would tear apart the sky<n id="2" /> and come down!p> <p class="poetry">The mountains would tremble<n id="3" /> before you!p>

<p class="poetry">When you enter my presence,p> <p class="poetry">do you actually think I want this &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">animals trampling on my courtyards?<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Go up into the rocky cliffs,p> <p class="poetry">hide in the ground.p> <p class="poetry">Get away from the dreadful judgment of the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">from his royal splendor!p>

<p class="poetry">captains of groups of fifty,p> <p class="poetry">the respected citizens,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">advisers and those skilled in magical arts,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and those who know incantations.p>

<p class="poetry">Why do you crush my peoplep> <p class="poetry">and grind the faces of the poor?&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The sovereign <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies<n id="2" /> has spoken.p>

<p class="poetry">The leaders and the highly respected people<n id="1" /> are the head,p> <p class="poetry">the prophets who teach lies are the tail.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Look, the <sc>Lordsc> is ready to devastate the earthp> <p class="poetry">and leave it in ruins;p> <p class="poetry">he will mar its surfacep> <p class="poetry">and scatter its inhabitants.p>

<p class="poetry">As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliverp> <p class="poetry">and strains and cries out because of her labor pains,p> <p class="poetry">so were we because of you, O <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="poetry">The time is coming when Jacob will take root;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Israel will blossom and grow branches.p> <p class="poetry">The produce<n id="2" /> will fill the surface of the world.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Turn aside from the way,p> <p class="poetry">stray off the path.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I will go before youp> <p class="poetry">and level mountains.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Bronze doors I will shatterp> <p class="poetry">and iron bars<n id="2" /> I will hack through.p>

<p class="poetry">Now they come into being,<n id="1" /> not in the past;p> <p class="poetry">before today you did not hear about them,p> <p class="poetry">so you could not say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Yes,<n id="2" /> I know about them.&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">Your descendants would have been as numerous as sand,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and your children<n id="2" /> like its granules.p> <p class="poetry">Their name would not have been cut offp> <p class="poetry">and eliminated from my presence.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">I offered my back to those who attacked,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">my jaws to those who tore out my beard;p> <p class="poetry">I did not hide my facep> <p class="poetry">from insults and spitting.p>