<p class="poetry">He and his people with him,p> <p class="poetry">the most terrifying of the nations,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">will be brought there to destroy the land.p> <p class="poetry">They will draw their swords against Egypt,p> <p class="poetry">and fill the land with corpses.p>

<p class="poetry">All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs;p> <p class="poetry">under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth,p> <p class="poetry">in its shade all the great<n id="1" /> nations lived.p>

Those who lived in its shade, its allies<n id="1" /> among the nations, also went down with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword.

<p class="poetry">By the swords of the mighty warriors I will cause your hordes to fall &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">all of them are the most terrifying among the nations.p> <p class="poetry">They will devastate the pride of Egypt,p> <p class="poetry">and all its hordes will be destroyed.p>

&#8220;Son of man, wail<n id="1" /> over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down;<n id="2" /> bring<n id="3" /> her<n id="4" /> and the daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with those who descend to the pit.

<p class="poetry">I am against you,&#8221; declares the <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will strip off your clothes!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I will show your nakedness to the nationsp> <p class="poetry">and your shame to the kingdoms;p>

<p class="poetry">Because you robbed many countries,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">all who are left among the nations<n id="2" /> will rob you.p> <p class="poetry">You have shed human bloodp> <p class="poetry">and committed violent acts against lands, cities,<n id="3" /> and those who live in them.p>

<p class="poetry">He takes his battle position<n id="1" /> and shakes<n id="2" /> the earth;p> <p class="poetry">with a mere look he frightens<n id="3" /> the nations.p> <p class="poetry">The ancient mountains disintegrate;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">the primeval hills are flattened.p> <p class="poetry">He travels on the ancient roads.<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;I destroyed<n id="1" /> nations;p> <p class="poetry">their walled cities<n id="2" /> are in ruins.p> <p class="poetry">I turned their streets into ruins;p> <p class="poetry">no one passes through them.p> <p class="poetry">Their cities are desolate;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">no one lives there.<n id="4" />p>

For I will drive out<n id="1" /> the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet<n id="2" /> your land when you go up<n id="3" /> to appear before the <sc>Lordsc> your God three times<n id="4" /> in the year.p>

For the <sc>Lordsc> your God will bless you just as he has promised; you will lend to many nations but will not borrow from any, and you will rule over many nations but they will not rule over you.p>

The <sc>Lordsc> will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do;<n id="1" /> you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any.

Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation<n id="1" /> on the earth? Their God<n id="2" /> went<n id="3" /> to claim<n id="4" /> a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land,<n id="5" /> before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods.<n id="6" />

And who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation<n id="1" /> in the earth? Their God<n id="2" /> went to claim<n id="3" /> a nation for himself! You made a name for yourself by doing great and awesome deeds<n id="4" /> when you drove out<n id="5" /> nations before your people whom you had delivered from the Egyptian empire and its gods.<n id="6" />

<p class="poetry">For the fields of Heshbon are dried up,p> <p class="poetry">as well as the vines of Sibmah.p> <p class="poetry">The rulers of the nations trample all over its vines,p> <p class="poetry">which reach Jazer and spread to the desert;p> <p class="poetry">their shoots spread out and cross the sea.p>

<p class="poetry">This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says to his chosen<n id="1" /> one,p> <p class="poetry">to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">in order to subdue nations before him,p> <p class="poetry">and disarm kings,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to open doors before him,p> <p class="poetry">so gates remain unclosed:p>

<p class="poetry">he says, &#8220;Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,p> <p class="poetry">to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,p> <p class="poetry">and restore the remnant<n id="1" /> of Israel?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I will make you a light to the nations,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">so you can bring<n id="4" /> my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">This is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Look I will raise my hand to the nations;p> <p class="poetry">I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.p> <p class="poetry">They will bring your sons in their armsp> <p class="poetry">and carry your daughters on their shoulders.p>

<p class="poetry">For this is what the <sc>Lordsc> says:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,p> <p class="poetry">the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You will nurse from her breast<n id="2" /> and be carried at her side;p> <p class="poetry">you will play on her knees.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I thought to myself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">What a joy it would be for me to give<n id="3" /> you a pleasant land,p> <p class="poetry">the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!&#8217;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I thought you would call me, &#8216;Father&#8217;<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">and would never cease being loyal to me.<n id="6" />p>