<p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm that<n id="1" /> I know how arrogant they are.p> <p class="poetry">But their pride is ill-founded.p> <p class="poetry">Their boastings will prove to be false.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Look! Like an eagle with outspread wingsp> <p class="poetry">a nation will swoop down on Moab.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Yet in days to comep> <p class="poetry">I will reverse Moab&#8217;s ill fortune.&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p> <p class="bodytext">The judgment against Moab ends here.p>

<p class="poetry">Yet in days to comep> <p class="poetry">I will reverse Ammon&#8217;s ill fortune.&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I have heard a message from the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">A messenger has been sent among the nations to say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Gather your armies and march out against her!p> <p class="poetry">Prepare to do battle with her!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all said,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will kill all the archers of Elam,p> <p class="poetry">who are the chief source of her military might.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will establish my sovereignty over Elam.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I will destroy their king and their leaders,&#8221;<n id="2" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Yet in days to comep> <p class="poetry">I will reverse Elam&#8217;s ill fortune.&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> spoke concerning Babylon and the land of Babylonia<n id="1" /> through the prophet Jeremiah.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">So her young men will fall in her city squares.p> <p class="poetry">All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Destructive forces will come against the Babylonians,&#8221;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;They will come against the people who inhabit Babylonia,p> <p class="poetry">against her leaders and her men of wisdom.p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all<n id="1" /> has solemnly sworn,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I will fill your land with enemy soldiers.p> <p class="poetry">They will swarm over it like locusts.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They will raise up shouts of victory over it.&#8217;p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Get out of Babylon, my people!p> <p class="poetry">Flee to save your livesp> <p class="poetry">from the fierce anger of the <sc>Lordsc>!<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north.<n id="1" /> Tell them,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Come back to me, wayward Israel,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I will not continue to look on you with displeasure.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For I am merciful,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I will not be angry with you forever.p>

<p class="poetry">However, you must confess that you have done wrong,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and that you have rebelled against the <sc>Lordsc> your God.p> <p class="poetry">You must confess<n id="2" /> that you have given yourself to<n id="3" /> foreign gods under every green tree,p> <p class="poetry">and have not obeyed my commands,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

In those days, your population will greatly increase<n id="1" /> in the land. At that time,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;people will no longer talk about having the ark<n id="2" /> that contains the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s covenant with us.<n id="3" /> They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more!<n id="4" />

At that time the city of Jerusalem<n id="1" /> will be called the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s name.<n id="2" /> They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">Let us acknowledge<n id="1" /> our shame.p> <p class="poetry">Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For we have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc> our God,p> <p class="poetry">both we and our ancestors.p> <p class="poetry">From earliest times to this very dayp> <p class="poetry">we have not obeyed the <sc>Lordsc> our God.&#8217;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The people say,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Why are we just sitting here?p> <p class="poetry">Let us gather together inside the fortified cities.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Let us at least die there fighting,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">since the <sc>Lordsc> our God has condemned us to die.p> <p class="poetry">He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">because we have sinned against him.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">If people want to boast, they should boast about this:p> <p class="poetry">They should boast that they understand and know me.p> <p class="poetry">They should boast that they know and understandp> <p class="poetry">that I, the <sc>Lordsc>, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earthp> <p class="poetry">and that I desire people to do these things,&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">says the <sc>Lordsc>.p>