<p class="poetry">Like a bird that wanders<n id="1" /> from its nest,p> <p class="poetry">so is a person who wanders from his home.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Kings leading armies run away &#8211; they run away!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">The lovely lady<n id="2" /> of the house divides up the loot.p>

<p class="poetry">He is driven<n id="1" /> from light into darknessp> <p class="poetry">and is banished from the world.p>

<p class="poetry">Madmenah flees,p> <p class="poetry">the residents of Gebim have hidden.p>

<p class="poetry">But evil people are like thorns &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">all of them are tossed away,p> <p class="poetry">for they cannot be held in the hand.p>

<p class="poetry">Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.p>

<p class="poetry">Look, I will escape to a distant place;p> <p class="poetry">I will stay in the wilderness. (Selah)p>

<p class="poetry">Their slander will bring about their demise.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">All who see them will shudder,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The nations run away when they hear a loud noise;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the nations scatter when you spring into action!<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I looked and saw that there were no more people,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and that all the birds in the sky had flown away.p>

I was consumed by scorching heat<n id="1" /> during the day and by piercing cold<n id="2" /> at night, and I went without sleep.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">he wanders about &#8211; food for vultures;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he knows that the day of darkness is at hand.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">At the fords of the Arnon<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the Moabite women are like a birdp> <p class="poetry">that flies about when forced from its nest.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Bring out some water for the thirsty.p> <p class="poetry">You who live in the land of Tema,p> <p class="poetry">bring some food for the fugitives.p>

<n id="1" /><p class="poetry">All your leaders ran away together &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">they fled to a distant place;p> <p class="poetry">all your refugees<n id="2" /> were captured together &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">they were captured without a single arrow being shot.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">My God will reject them,p> <p class="poetry">for they have not obeyed him;p> <p class="poetry">so they will be fugitives among the nations.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Throughout that night the king was unable to sleep,<n id="1" /> so he asked for the book containing the historical records<n id="2" /> to be brought. As the records<n id="3" /> were being read in the king&#8217;s presence,

<p class="poetry">Because of all my enemies, people disdain me;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">my neighbors are appalled by my suffering<n id="2" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">those who know me are horrified by my condition;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">those who see me in the street run away from me.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Bring a plan, make a decision!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Provide some shade in the middle of the day!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Hide the fugitives! Do not betray<n id="3" /> the one who tries to escape!p>

<p class="poetry">For they flee from the swords &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">from the drawn swordp> <p class="poetry">and from the battle-ready bowp> <p class="poetry">and from the severity of the battle.p>