<p class="poetry">He sprouted up like a twig before God,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">like a root out of parched soil;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">no special appearance that we should want to follow him.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;p> <p class="poetry">they, they are the object of your devotion.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You pour out liquid offerings to them,p> <p class="poetry">you make an offering.p> <p class="poetry">Because of these things I will seek vengeance.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Behind the door and doorpost you put your symbols.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="2" /> you depart from me<n id="3" /> and go upp> <p class="poetry">and invite them into bed with you.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">You purchase favors from them,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">you love their bed,p> <p class="poetry">and gaze longingly<n id="6" /> on their genitals.<n id="7" />p>

<p class="poetry">All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;p> <p class="poetry">the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They will go up on my altar acceptably,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.p>

<p class="poetry">His people remembered the ancient times.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,p> <p class="poetry">along with the shepherd of<n id="2" /> his flock?p> <p class="poetry">Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them,<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">For look, I am ready to createp> <p class="poetry">new heavens and a new earth!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The former ones<n id="2" /> will not be remembered;p> <p class="poetry">no one will think about them anymore.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Like a lion that has come up from its lair<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">He is coming out to lay your land waste.p> <p class="poetry">Your cities will become ruins and lie uninhabited.p>

<p class="poetry">At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archersp> <p class="poetry">the people of every town will flee.p> <p class="poetry">Some of them will hide in the thickets.p> <p class="poetry">Others will climb up among the rocks.p> <p class="poetry">All the cities will be deserted.p> <p class="poetry">No one will remain in them.p>

<p class="poetry">They will say,<n id="1" /> &#8216;Prepare to do battle<n id="2" /> against it!p> <p class="poetry">Come on! Let&#8217;s attack it at noon!&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">But later they will say,<n id="3" /> &#8216;Oh, oh! Too bad!<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">The day is almost overp> <p class="poetry">and the shadows of evening are getting long.p>

<p class="poetry">There is still medicinal ointment<n id="1" /> available in Gilead!p> <p class="poetry">There is still a physician there!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Why then have my dear people<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">not been restored to health?<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">When his voice thunders,<n id="1" /> the heavenly ocean roars.p> <p class="poetry">He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.p> <p class="poetry">He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.<n id="3" />p>

For I solemnly warned your ancestors to obey me.<n id="1" /> I warned them again and again,<n id="2" /> ever since I delivered them out of Egypt until this very day.

<p class="bodytext">Yet<n id="1" /> I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="2" /> &#8220;A new time will certainly come.<n id="3" /> People now affirm their oaths with &#8216;I swear as surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives who delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt.&#8217;

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;So I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="1" /> &#8216;A new time will certainly come.<n id="2" /> People now affirm their oaths with &#8220;I swear as surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives who delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">However, some of the officials<n id="1" /> of Judah heard about what was happening<n id="2" /> and they rushed up to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple from the royal palace. They set up court<n id="3" /> at the entrance of the New Gate of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple.<n id="4" />

He has said, &#8216;They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration for them again.<n id="1" /> Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.&#8217; I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm this!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Yes,<n id="1" /> I will restore you to health.p> <p class="poetry">I will heal your wounds.p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For you have been called an outcast,p> <p class="poetry">Zion, whom no one cares for.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Yes, a time is comingp> <p class="poetry">when watchmen<n id="1" /> will call out on the mountains of Ephraim,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Come! Let us go to Zionp> <p class="poetry">to worship the <sc>Lordsc> our God!&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the other sacrifices.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

I will also hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their enemies who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the army of the king of Babylon, even though they have temporarily withdrawn from attacking you.<n id="1" />