<p class="poetry">None tire or stumble,p> <p class="poetry">they don&#8217;t stop to nap or sleep.p> <p class="poetry">They don&#8217;t loosen their belts,p> <p class="poetry">or unstrap their sandals to rest.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Like a frightened gazelle<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">or a sheep with no shepherd,p> <p class="poetry">each will turn toward home,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">each will run to his homeland.p>

<p class="poetry">Wail, O city gate!p> <p class="poetry">Cry out, O city!p> <p class="poetry">Melt with fear,<n id="1" /> all you Philistines!p> <p class="poetry">For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,p> <p class="poetry">and there are no stragglers in its ranks.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The oppressed and the poor look for water, but there is none;p> <p class="poetry">their tongues are parched from thirst.p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, will respond to their prayers;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.p>

<p class="poetry">I decreed and delivered and proclaimed,p> <p class="poetry">and there was no other god among you.p> <p class="poetry">You are my witnesses,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;that I am God.p>

<p class="poetry">Don&#8217;t panic! Don&#8217;t be afraid!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Did I not tell you beforehand and decree it?p> <p class="poetry">You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me?p> <p class="poetry">There is no other sheltering rock;<n id="2" /> I know of none.p>

<p class="poetry">A blacksmith works with his tool<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and forges metal over the coals.p> <p class="poetry">He forms it<n id="2" /> with hammers;p> <p class="poetry">he makes it with his strong arm.p> <p class="poetry">He gets hungry and loses his energy;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">he drinks no water and gets tired.p>

<p class="poetry">Who among you fears the <sc>Lordsc>?p> <p class="poetry">Who obeys<n id="1" /> his servant?p> <p class="poetry">Whoever walks in deep darkness,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">without light,p> <p class="poetry">should trust in the name of the <sc>Lordsc>p> <p class="poetry">and rely on his God.p>

<p class="poetry">The godly<n id="1" /> perish,p> <p class="poetry">but no one cares.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Honest people disappear,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">when no one<n id="4" /> minds<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">that the godly<n id="6" /> disappear<n id="7" /> because of<n id="8" /> evil.<n id="9" />p>

<p class="poetry">No one is concerned about justice;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">no one sets forth his case truthfully.p> <p class="poetry">They depend on false words<n id="2" /> and tell lies;p> <p class="poetry">they conceive of oppression<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and give birth to sin.p>

<p class="poetry">They are unfamiliar with peace;p> <p class="poetry">their deeds are unjust.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They use deceitful methods,p> <p class="poetry">and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">No one invokes<n id="1" /> your name,p> <p class="poetry">or makes an effort<n id="2" /> to take hold of you.p> <p class="poetry">For you have rejected us<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and handed us over to our own sins.<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The profit<n id="1" /> of Egypt and the revenue<n id="2" /> of Ethiopia,p> <p class="poetry">along with the Sabeans, those tall men,p> <p class="poetry">will be brought to you<n id="3" /> and become yours.p> <p class="poetry">They will walk behind you, coming along in chains.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">They will bow down to youp> <p class="poetry">and pray to you:<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Truly God is with<n id="6" /> you; he has no peer;<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">there is no other God!&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">For this is what the <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">the one who created the sky &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">he is the true God,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who formed the earth and made it;p> <p class="poetry">he established it,p> <p class="poetry">he did not create it without order,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he formed it to be inhabited &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I am the <sc>Lordsc>, I have no peer.p>

<p class="poetry">Tell me! Present the evidence!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Let them consult with one another!p> <p class="poetry">Who predicted this in the past?p> <p class="poetry">Who announced it beforehand?p> <p class="poetry">Was it not I, the <sc>Lordsc>?p> <p class="poetry">I have no peer, there is no God but me,p> <p class="poetry">a God who vindicates and delivers;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">there is none but me.p>

<p class="poetry">So I will choose severe punishment<n id="1" /> for them;p> <p class="poetry">I will bring on them what they dread,p> <p class="poetry">because I called, and no one responded,p> <p class="poetry">I spoke and they did not listen.p> <p class="poetry">They did evil before me;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they chose to do what displeases me.&#8221;p>