<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;People<n id="1" /> listened to me and waited silently;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they kept silent for my advice.p>

<p class="poetry">They waited for me as people wait<n id="1" /> for the rain,p> <p class="poetry">and they opened their mouths<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">as for<n id="3" /> the spring rains.p>

<p class="poetry">Even though they have hired lovers among the nations,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will soon gather them together for judgment.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Then<n id="3" /> they will begin to waste awayp> <p class="poetry">under the oppression of a mighty king.<n id="4" />p>

They see delusion and their omens are a lie.<n id="1" /> They say, &#8220;the <sc>Lordsc> declares,&#8221; though the <sc>Lordsc> has not sent them;<n id="2" /> yet they expect their word to be confirmed.<n id="3" />

The Benjaminites attacked<n id="1" /> the army, leaving the city unguarded.<n id="2" /> They began to strike down their enemy<n id="3" /> just as they had done before. On the main roads (one leads to Bethel,<n id="4" /> the other to Gibeah) and in the field, they struck down<n id="5" /> about thirty Israelites.

On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="1" /> For eight more days they consecrated the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished.

Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women &#8211; wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!&#8221; So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple.p>