<p class="poetry">Look, the sovereign master, the <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies,p> <p class="poetry">is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The tallest trees<n id="2" /> will be cut down,p> <p class="poetry">the loftiest ones will be brought low.p>

The <sc>Lordsc> will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the <sc>Lordsc> and he will listen to their prayers<n id="1" /> and heal them.p>

the deep waters!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Grain from the Shihor region,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">crops grown near the Nile<n id="3" /> she receives;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">she is the trade center<n id="5" /> of the nations.p>

<p class="poetry">I will make justice the measuring line,p> <p class="poetry">fairness the plumb line;p> <p class="poetry">hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.p>

<p class="poetry">Those who try to hide their plans from the <sc>Lordsc> are as good as dead,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">who do their work in secret and boast,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Who sees us? Who knows what we&#8217;re doing?&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The sovereign master<n id="1" /> will give you distress to eatp> <p class="poetry">and suffering to drink;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">but your teachers will no longer be hidden;p> <p class="poetry">your eyes will see them.<n id="3" />p>

For at that time<n id="1" /> everyone will get rid of<n id="2" /> the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">When you will look for your opponents,<n id="1" /> you will not find them;p> <p class="poetry">your enemies<n id="2" /> will be reduced to absolutely nothing.p>

<p class="poetry">Yet the children born during your time of bereavementp> <p class="poetry">will say within your hearing,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;This place is too cramped for us,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">make room for us so we can live here.&#8217;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For this is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt;p> <p class="poetry">Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.p>

<p class="poetry">Each one says,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Come on, I&#8217;ll get some wine!p> <p class="poetry">Let&#8217;s guzzle some beer!p> <p class="poetry">Tomorrow will be just like today!p> <p class="poetry">We&#8217;ll have everything we want!&#8217;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">They will not work in vain,p> <p class="poetry">or give birth to children that will experience disaster.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> will bless their childrenp> <p class="poetry">and their descendants.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Then you will think to yourself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Who bore these children for me?p> <p class="poetry">I was bereaved and barren,p> <p class="poetry">dismissed and divorced.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Who raised these children?p> <p class="poetry">Look, I was left all alone;p> <p class="poetry">where did these children come from?&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">From the soles of your feet to your head,p> <p class="poetry">there is no spot that is unharmed.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">There are only bruises, cuts,p> <p class="poetry">and open wounds.p> <p class="poetry">They have not been cleansed<n id="2" /> or bandaged,p> <p class="poetry">nor have they been treated<n id="3" /> with olive oil.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Oppressors treat my<n id="1" /> people cruelly;p> <p class="poetry">creditors rule over them.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">My people&#8217;s leaders mislead them;p> <p class="poetry">they give you confusing directions.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> they will growl over their prey,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,p> <p class="poetry">clouds will turn the light into darkness.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> will certainly have compassion on Jacob;<n id="1" /> he will again choose Israel as his special people<n id="2" /> and restore<n id="3" /> them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family<n id="4" /> of Jacob.

<p class="bodytext">At the end of seventy years<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> will revive<n id="2" /> Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth&#8217;s kingdoms.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">Whenever it sweeps by, it will overtake you;p> <p class="poetry">indeed,<n id="1" /> every morning it will sweep by,p> <p class="poetry">it will come through during the day and the night.&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">When this announcement is understood,p> <p class="poetry">it will cause nothing but terror.p>

<p class="poetry">Owls and wild animals<n id="1" /> will live there,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">all kinds of wild birds<n id="3" /> will settle in it.p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc><n id="4" /> will stretch out over herp> <p class="poetry">the measuring line of ruinp> <p class="poetry">and the plumb line<n id="5" /> of destruction.<n id="6" />p>