<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> spoke<n id="1" /> about Damascus.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The people of Hamath and Arpad<n id="3" /> will be dismayedp> <p class="poetry">because they have heard bad news.p> <p class="poetry">Their courage will melt away because of worry.p> <p class="poetry">Their hearts will not be able to rest.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> says,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Army of Babylon,<n id="2" /> go and attackp> <p class="poetry">a nation that lives in peace and security.p> <p class="poetry">They have no gates or walls to protect them.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They live all alone.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Hazor will become a permanent wasteland,p> <p class="poetry">a place where only jackals live.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">No one will live there.p> <p class="poetry">No human being will settle in it.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">They will ask the way to Zion;p> <p class="poetry">they will turn their faces toward it.p> <p class="poetry">They will come<n id="1" /> and bind themselves to the <sc>Lordsc>p> <p class="poetry">in a lasting covenant that will never be forgotten.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">All who encountered them devoured them.p> <p class="poetry">Their enemies who did this said, &#8216;We are not liable for punishment!p> <p class="poetry">For those people have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc>, their true pasture.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc> in whom their ancestors<n id="2" /> trusted.&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">After I vent my wrath on it Babylon will be uninhabited.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">It will be totally desolate.p> <p class="poetry">All who pass by will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scornp> <p class="poetry">because of all the disasters that have happened to it.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I set a trap for you, Babylon;p> <p class="poetry">you were caught before you knew it.p> <p class="poetry">You fought against me.p> <p class="poetry">So you were found and captured.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;For Israel and Judah will not be forsaken<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">by their God, the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For the land of Babylonia is<n id="3" /> full of guiltp> <p class="poetry">against the Holy One of Israel.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc>, who is the portion of the descendants of Jacob, is not like them.p> <p class="poetry">For he is the one who created everything,p> <p class="poetry">including the people of Israel whom he claims as his own.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He is known as the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The towns of Babylonia have become heaps of ruins.p> <p class="poetry">She has become a dry and barren desert.p> <p class="poetry">No one lives in those towns any more.p> <p class="poetry">No one even passes through them.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1490; (<i>Gimeli>)p> <p class="poetry">Judah<n id="1" /> has departed into exilep> <p class="poetry">under<n id="2" /> affliction and harsh oppression.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">She<n id="4" /> lives among the nations;p> <p class="poetry">she has found no resting place.p> <p class="poetry">All who pursued her overtook herp> <p class="poetry">in<n id="5" /> narrow straits.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1493; (<i>Vavi>)p> <p class="poetry">All of Daughter Zion&#8217;s<n id="1" /> splendor<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">has departed.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Her leaders became like deer;p> <p class="poetry">they found no pasture,p> <p class="poetry">so they were too exhausted to escape<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">from the hunter.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1496; (<i>Teti>)p> <p class="poetry">Her menstrual flow<n id="1" /> has soiled<n id="2" /> her clothing;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">she did not consider<n id="4" /> the consequences of her sin.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">Her demise<n id="6" /> was astonishing,<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">and there was no one to comfort her.p> <p class="poetry">She cried, &#8220;Look,<n id="8" /> O <sc>Lordsc>, on my<n id="9" /> afflictionp> <p class="poetry">because my<n id="10" /> enemy boasts!&#8221;p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1497; (<i>Yodi>)p> <p class="poetry">An enemy grabbed<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">all her valuables.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed she watched in horror<n id="3" /> as Gentiles<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">invaded her holy temple<n id="5" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">those whom you<n id="6" /> had commanded:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;They must not enter<n id="7" /> your assembly place.&#8221;<n id="8" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1504; (<i>Nuni>)p> <p class="poetry">My sins are bound around my neck like a yoke;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they are fastened together by his hand.p> <p class="poetry">He has placed his yoke<n id="2" /> on my neck;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">he has sapped my strength.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">The Lord<n id="5" /> has handed me over<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">to those whom I cannot resist.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1495; (<i>Kheti>)p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> was determined to tear downp> <p class="poetry">Daughter Zion&#8217;s wall.p> <p class="poetry">He prepared to knock it down;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he did not withdraw his hand from destroying.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">He made the ramparts and fortified walls lament;p> <p class="poetry">together they mourned their ruin.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1496; (<i>Teti>)p> <p class="poetry">Her city gates have fallen<n id="1" /> to the ground;p> <p class="poetry">he smashed to bits<n id="2" /> the bars that lock her gates.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Her king and princes were taken into exile;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">there is no more guidance available.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">As for her prophets,p> <p class="poetry">they no longer receive<n id="6" /> a vision from the <sc>Lordsc>.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1513; (<i>Sin/Shini>)p> <p class="poetry">The young boys and old menp> <p class="poetry">lie dead on the ground in the streets.p> <p class="poetry">My young women<n id="1" /> and my young menp> <p class="poetry">have fallen by the sword.p> <p class="poetry">You killed them when you were angry;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">you slaughtered them without mercy.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1495; (<i>Kheti>)p> <p class="poetry">Now their appearance<n id="1" /> is darker than soot;p> <p class="poetry">they are not recognized in the streets.p> <p class="poetry">Their skin has shriveled on their bones;p> <p class="poetry">it is dried up, like tree bark.p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1500; (<i>Lamedi>)p> <p class="poetry">Neither the kings of the earthp> <p class="poetry">nor the people of the lands<n id="1" /> ever thought<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">that enemy or foe would enterp> <p class="poetry">the gates<n id="3" /> of Jerusalem.<n id="4" />p>