It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations ¹  and their lands.

All the stars in the sky will fade away, ¹  the sky will roll up like a scroll; all its stars will wither, like a leaf withers and falls from a vine or a fig withers and falls from a tree. ² 

For tyrants will disappear, those who taunt will vanish, and all those who love to do wrong will be eliminated ¹  –

They will all be left ¹  for the birds of the hills and the wild animals; ²  the birds will eat them during the summer, and all the wild animals will eat them during the winter.

I dug wells and drank water. ¹  With the soles of my feet I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.’

They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; ¹  all joy turns to sorrow; ²  celebrations disappear from the earth. ³ 

I cry out ¹  until morning; like a lion he shatters all my bones; you turn day into night and end my life. ² 

Turn to me so you can be delivered, ¹  all you who live in the earth’s remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer.

Lord, do not be too angry! Do not hold our sins against us continually! ¹  Take a good look at your people, at all of us! ² 

Our holy temple, our pride and joy, ¹  the place where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire; all our prized possessions have been destroyed. ² 

All rebellious sinners will be shattered, ¹  those who abandon the Lord will perish.

Israel will be delivered once and for all by the Lord; ¹  you will never again be ashamed or humiliated. ² 

Look up at the sky! ¹  Who created all these heavenly lights? ²  He is the one who leads out their ranks; ³  he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing.

they will say about me, “Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” ¹  All who are angry at him will cower before him. ² 

All the people were aware ¹  of it, the people of Ephraim and those living in Samaria. ²  Yet with pride and an arrogant attitude, they said, ³ 

to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor, the day when our God will seek vengeance, ¹  to console all who mourn,

The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. ¹  They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain. ² 

Sheol ¹  below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses ²  the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; ³  it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones. ⁴ 

So look, the sovereign master ¹  is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River ²  – the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks. ³ 

Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are prepared. ¹  The hooves of their horses are hard as flint, ²  and their chariot wheels are like a windstorm. ³