Haggai 2

The Coming Glory of God’s House

1 In the seventhmonth,on the twenty-first of the month, the word of theLordcame by Haggai the prophet, saying:

2 “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying:

3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it,isthisnot in your eyes as nothing?

4 Yet nowbe strong, Zerubbabel,’ says theLord; ‘and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,’ says theLord, ‘and work; for Iamwith you,’ says theLordof hosts.

5 ‘Accordingtothe word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, soMy Spirit remains among you; do not fear!’

6 “For thus says theLordof hosts:‘Once more (itisa little while)I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;

7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come tothe Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple withglory,’ says theLordof hosts.

8 ‘The silverisMine, and the goldisMine,’ says theLordof hosts.

9 ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says theLordof hosts. ‘And in this place I will givepeace,’ says theLordof hosts.”

The People Are Defiled

10 On the twenty-fourthdayof the ninthmonth,in the second year of Darius, the word of theLordcame by Haggai the prophet, saying,

11 “Thus says theLordof hosts: ‘Now,ask the priestsconcerningthelaw, saying,

12 “If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches bread or stew, wine or oil, or any food, will it become holy?” ’ ”

Then the priests answered and said, “No.”

13 And Haggai said, “Ifonewhoisuncleanbecauseof a dead body touches any of these, will it be unclean?”

So the priests answered and said, “It shall be unclean.”

14 Then Haggai answered and said,“ ‘So is this people, and so is this nation before Me,’ says theLord, ‘and so is every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean.

Promised Blessing

15 ‘And now, carefullyconsider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of theLord—

16 since thosedays,whenonecame to a heap of twenty ephahs, there werebutten; whenonecame to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there werebuttwenty.

17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hailin all the labors of your hands;yet you did notturnto Me,’ says theLord.

18 ‘Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, fromthe day that the foundation of theLord’s temple was laid—consider it:

19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yieldedfruit. Butfrom this day I willblessyou.’ ”

Zerubbabel Chosen as a Signet

20 And again the word of theLordcame to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying,

21 “Speak to Zerubbabel,governor of Judah, saying:

# ‘I will shake heaven and earth.

22 I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms;

I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms.

# I will overthrow the chariots

And those who ride in them;

The horses and their riders shall come down,

Every one by the sword of his brother.

23 ‘In that day,’ says theLordof hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says theLord,‘and will make you like a signetring;forI have chosen you,’ says theLordof hosts.”

Zephaniah 1

1 The word of theLordwhich came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days ofJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

The Great Day of the Lord

2 “I will utterly consume everything

From the face of the land,”

Says theLord;

3 “Iwill consume man and beast;

I will consume the birds of the heavens,

The fish of the sea,

And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked.

I will cut off man from the face of the land,”

Says theLord.

4 “I will stretch out My hand against Judah,

And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,

# The names of theidolatrous priests with thepaganpriests—

5 Thosewho worship the host of heaven on the housetops;

Those who worship and swearoathsby theLord,

# But whoalsoswearby Milcom;

6 Those who have turned back fromfollowingtheLord,

# Andhave not sought theLord, nor inquired of Him.”

7 Be silent in the presence of the LordGod;

# For the day of theLordisat hand,

# FortheLordhas prepared a sacrifice;

He has invited His guests.

8 “And it shall be,

In the day of theLord’s sacrifice,

# That I will punishthe princes and the king’s children,

And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.

9 In the same day I will punish

# All those wholeap over the threshold,

Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

10 “And there shall be on that day,” says theLord,

# “The sound of a mournful cry fromthe Fish Gate,

A wailing from the Second Quarter,

And a loud crashing from the hills.

11 Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh!

For all the merchant people are cut down;

All those who handle money are cut off.

12 “And it shall come to pass at that time

ThatI will search Jerusalem with lamps,

And punish the men

# Who aresettled in complacency,

# Who say in their heart,

‘TheLordwill not do good,

Nor will He do evil.’

13 Therefore their goods shall become booty,

And their houses a desolation;

They shall build houses, but not inhabitthem;

# They shall plant vineyards, butnot drink their wine.”

14 The great day of theLordisnear;

Itisnear and hastens quickly.

The noise of the day of theLordis bitter;

There the mighty men shall cry out.

15 That dayisa day of wrath,

A day of trouble and distress,

A day of devastation and desolation,

A day of darkness and gloominess,

A day of clouds and thick darkness,

16 A day oftrumpet and alarm

Against the fortified cities

And against the high towers.

17 “I will bring distress upon men,

# And they shallwalk like blind men,

Because they have sinned against theLord;

Their blood shall be poured out like dust,

And their flesh like refuse.”

18 Neither their silver nor their gold

Shall be able to deliver them

In the day of theLord’s wrath;

But the whole land shall be devoured

By the fire of His jealousy,

For He will make speedy riddance

Of all those who dwell in the land.

Zephaniah 2

A Call to Repentance

1 Gatheryourselves together, yes, gather together,

O undesirable nation,

2 Before the decree is issued,

Orthe day passes like chaff,

Before theLord’s fierce anger comes upon you,

Before the day of theLord’s anger comes upon you!

3 Seek theLord,all you meek of the earth,

Who have upheld His justice.

Seek righteousness, seek humility.

# It may be that you will be hidden

In the day of theLord’s anger.

Judgment on Nations

4 ForGaza shall be forsaken,

And Ashkelon desolate;

# They shall drive out Ashdodat noonday,

And Ekron shall be uprooted.

5 Woe to the inhabitants ofthe seacoast,

The nation of the Cherethites!

The word of theLordisagainst you,

# OCanaan, land of the Philistines:

“I will destroy you;

So there shall be no inhabitant.”

6 The seacoast shall be pastures,

# With shelters for shepherdsand folds for flocks.

7 The coast shall be forthe remnant of the house of Judah;

They shall feedtheirflocks there;

In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.

# For theLordtheir God willintervene for them,

# Andreturn their captives.

8 “Ihave heard the reproach of Moab,

# Andthe insults of the people of Ammon,

With which they have reproached My people,

# Andmade arrogant threats against their borders.

9 Therefore, as I live,”

Says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel,

# “SurelyMoab shall be like Sodom,

# Andthe people of Ammon like Gomorrah—

# Overrun with weeds and saltpits,

And a perpetual desolation.

The residue of My people shall plunder them,

And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”

10 This they shall havefor their pride,

Because they have reproached and made arrogant threats

Against the people of theLordof hosts.

11 TheLordwillbeawesome to them,

For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;

# Peopleshall worship Him,

Each one from his place,

# Indeed allthe shores of the nations.

12 “YouEthiopians also,

# You shall be slain byMy sword.”

13 And He will stretch out His hand against the north,

# Destroy Assyria,

And make Nineveh a desolation,

As dry as the wilderness.

14 The herds shall lie down in her midst,

# Every beast of the nation.

# Both thepelican and the bittern

Shall lodge on the capitalsofherpillars;

Their voice shall sing in the windows;

Desolationshallbeat the threshold;

# For He will lay bare thecedar work.

15 This is the rejoicing city

# That dwelt securely,

# That said in her heart,

“Iamit,andthereisnone besides me.”

How has she become a desolation,

A place for beasts to lie down!

Everyone who passes by her

# Shall hiss andshake his fist.

Zephaniah 3

The Wickedness of Jerusalem

1 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,

To the oppressing city!

2 She has not obeyedHisvoice,

She has not received correction;

She has not trusted in theLord,

She has not drawn near to her God.

3 Her princes in her midstareroaring lions;

# Her judgesareevening wolves

That leave not a bone till morning.

4 Herprophets are insolent, treacherous people;

Her priests have polluted the sanctuary,

# They have doneviolence to the law.

5 TheLordisrighteous in her midst,

He will do no unrighteousness.

Every morning He brings His justice to light;

He never fails,

# Butthe unjust knows no shame.

6 “I have cut off nations,

Their fortresses are devastated;

I have made their streets desolate,

With none passing by.

Their cities are destroyed;

Thereisno one, no inhabitant.

7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,

You will receive instruction’—

So that her dwelling would not be cut off,

Despiteeverything for which I punished her.

# But they rose early andcorrupted all their deeds.

A Faithful Remnant

8 “Thereforewait for Me,” says theLord,

“Until the day I rise up for plunder;

# My determinationistogather the nations

To My assembly of kingdoms,

To pour on them My indignation,

All My fierce anger;

# All the earthshall be devoured

With the fire of My jealousy.

9 “For then I will restore to the peoplesa pure language,

That they all may call on the name of theLord,

To serve Him with one accord.

10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

My worshipers,

The daughter of My dispersed ones,

Shall bring My offering.

11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds

In which you transgress against Me;

For then I will take away from your midst

# Those whorejoice in your pride,

And you shall no longer be haughty

In My holy mountain.

12 I will leave in your midst

# A meek and humble people,

And they shall trust in the name of theLord.

13 The remnant of Israelshall do no unrighteousness

# And speak no lies,

Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;

# Forthey shall feedtheirflocks and lie down,

And no one shall makethemafraid.”

Joy in God’s Faithfulness

14 Sing, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with allyourheart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

15 TheLordhas taken away your judgments,

He has cast out your enemy.

# The King of Israel, theLord,isin your midst;

You shall see disaster no more.

16 In that dayit shall be said to Jerusalem:

“Do not fear;

# Zion,let not your hands be weak.

17 TheLordyour Godin your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

# He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quietyouwith His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

18 “I will gather those whosorrow over the appointed assembly,

Who are among you,

Towhomits reproachisa burden.

19 Behold, at that time

I will deal with all who afflict you;

# I will save thelame,

And gather those who were driven out;

I will appoint them for praise and fame

In every land where they were put to shame.

20 At that timeI will bring you back,

Even at the time I gather you;

For I will give you fame and praise

Among all the peoples of the earth,

When I return your captives before your eyes,”

Says theLord.

Habakkuk 1

1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.

The Prophet’s Question

2 OLord, how long shall I cry,

# And You will not hear?

# Even cry out to You,“Violence!”

# And You willnot save.

3 Why do You show me iniquity,

And causemeto see trouble?

For plundering and violencearebefore me;

There is strife, and contention arises.

4 Therefore the law is powerless,

And justice never goes forth.

# For thewicked surround the righteous;

Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.

The Lord’s Reply

5 “Lookamong the nations and watch—

Be utterly astounded!

ForIwillwork a work in your days

Whichyou would not believe, though it were toldyou.

6 For indeed I amraising up the Chaldeans,

# A bitter and hastynation

Which marches through the breadth of the earth,

To possess dwelling placesthatarenot theirs.

7 They are terrible and dreadful;

Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.

8 Their horses also areswifter than leopards,

And more fierce than evening wolves.

Their chargers charge ahead;

Their cavalry comes from afar;

# They fly as theeaglethathastens to eat.

9 “They all come for violence;

Their faces are setlikethe east wind.

They gather captives like sand.

10 They scoff at kings,

And princes are scorned by them.

They deride every stronghold,

For they heap up earthenmoundsand seize it.

11 Thenhismind changes, and he transgresses;

He commits offense,

# Ascribingthis power to his god.”

The Prophet’s Second Question

12 Are You notfrom everlasting,

OLordmy God, my Holy One?

We shall not die.

# OLord,You have appointed them for judgment;

# O Rock, You have marked them forcorrection.

13 Youareof purer eyes than to behold evil,

And cannot look on wickedness.

Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,

Andhold Your tongue when the wicked devours

Apersonmore righteous than he?

14 Whydo You make men like fish of the sea,

Like creeping thingsthathaveno ruler over them?

15 They take up all of them with a hook,

They catch them in their net,

And gather them in their dragnet.

Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

16 Thereforethey sacrifice to their net,

And burn incense to their dragnet;

Because by them their shareissumptuous

And their food plentiful.

17 Shall they therefore empty their net,

And continue to slay nations without pity?

Habakkuk 2

1 I willstand my watch

And set myself on the rampart,

And watch to see what He will say to me,

And what I will answer when I am corrected.

The Just Live by Faith

2 Then theLordanswered me and said:

# “Write the vision

And makeitplain on tablets,

That he may run who reads it.

3 Forthe visionisyet for an appointed time;

# But at the end it will speak, and it willnot lie.

# Though it tarries,wait for it;

# Because it willsurely come,

It will not tarry.

4 “Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

# But thejust shall live by his faith.

Woe to the Wicked

5 “Indeed, because he transgresses by wine,

Heisa proud man,

And he does not stay at home.

# Because heenlarges his desire as hell,

And heislike death, and cannot be satisfied,

He gathers to himself all nations

And heaps up for himself all peoples.

6 “Will not all thesetake up a proverb against him,

And a taunting riddle against him, and say,

‘Woe to him who increases

Whatis not his—how long?

And to him who loads himself with many pledges’?

7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly?

Will they not awaken who oppress you?

And you will become their booty.

8 Because you have plundered many nations,

All the remnant of the people shall plunder you,

Because of men’s blood

And the violence of the landandthe city,

And of all who dwell in it.

9 “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house,

# That he mayset his nest on high,

That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!

10 You give shameful counsel to your house,

Cutting off many peoples,

And sinagainstyour soul.

11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,

And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed,

Who establishes a city by iniquity!

13 Behold,isitnot of theLordof hosts

That the peoples labor to feed the fire,

And nations weary themselves in vain?

14 For the earth will be filled

With the knowledge of the glory of theLord,

As the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor,

# Pressinghimtoyourbottle,

Even to makehimdrunk,

That you may look on his nakedness!

16 You are filled with shame instead of glory.

You also—drink!

And be exposed as uncircumcised!

The cup of theLord’s right handwillbeturned against you,

And utter shame will be on your glory.

17 For the violencedonetoLebanon will cover you,

And the plunder of beastswhichmade them afraid,

Because of men’s blood

And the violence of the landandthe city,

And of all who dwell in it.

18 “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it,

The molded image, a teacher of lies,

That the maker of its mold should trust in it,

To make mute idols?

19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’

To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’

Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,

Yet in it there is no breath at all.

20 “ButtheLordis in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

Habakkuk 3

The Prophet’s Prayer

1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.

2 OLord, I have heard Your speechandwas afraid;

OLord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!

In the midst of the years makeitknown;

In wrath remember mercy.

3 God came from Teman,

The Holy One from Mount Paran.

Selah

His glory covered the heavens,

And the earth was full of His praise.

4 Hisbrightness was like the light;

He had raysflashingfrom His hand,

And there His powerwashidden.

5 Before Him went pestilence,

And fever followed at His feet.

6 He stood and measured the earth;

He looked and startled the nations.

# And the everlasting mountains were scattered,

The perpetual hills bowed.

His waysareeverlasting.

7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;

The curtains of the land of Midian trembled.

8 OLord, wereYoudispleased with the rivers,

WasYour anger against the rivers,

WasYour wrath against the sea,

That You rode on Your horses,

Your chariots of salvation?

9 Your bow was made quite ready;

Oaths were sworn overYourarrows.

Selah

You divided the earth with rivers.

10 The mountains saw Youandtrembled;

The overflowing of the water passed by.

The deep uttered its voice,

# Andlifted its hands on high.

11 Thesun and moon stood still in their habitation;

At the light of Your arrows they went,

At the shining of Your glittering spear.

12 You marched through the land in indignation;

You trampled the nations in anger.

13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people,

For salvation with Your Anointed.

You struck the head from the house of the wicked,

By laying bare from foundation to neck.

Selah

14 You thrust through with his own arrows

The head of his villages.

They came out like a whirlwind to scatter me;

Their rejoicing was like feasting on the poor in secret.

15 You walked through the sea with Your horses,

Through the heap of great waters.

16 When I heard,my body trembled;

My lips quivered atthevoice;

Rottenness entered my bones;

And I trembled in myself,

That I might rest in the day of trouble.

When he comes up to the people,

He will invade them with his troops.

A Hymn of Faith

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

18 Yet I willrejoice in theLord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 TheLordGod is my strength;

# He will make my feet likedeer’sfeet,

# And He will make mewalk on my high hills.

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Nahum 1

1 The burdenagainst Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

God’s Wrath on His Enemies

2 Godisjealous, and theLordavenges;

TheLordavenges andisfurious.

TheLordwill take vengeance on His adversaries,

And He reserveswrathfor His enemies;

3 TheLordisslow to anger andgreat in power,

And will not at all acquitthewicked.

# TheLordhas His way

In the whirlwind and in the storm,

And the cloudsarethe dust of His feet.

4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,

And dries up all the rivers.

# Bashan and Carmel wither,

And the flower of Lebanon wilts.

5 The mountains quake before Him,

The hills melt,

And the earth heaves at His presence,

Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.

6 Who can stand before His indignation?

# Andwho can endure the fierceness of His anger?

His fury is poured out like fire,

And the rocks are thrown down by Him.

7 TheLordisgood,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

# AndHe knows those who trust in Him.

8 But with an overflowing flood

He will make an utter end of its place,

And darkness will pursue His enemies.

9 What do you conspire against theLord?

# He will make an utter endofit.

Affliction will not rise up a second time.

10 For while tangledlikethorns,

# And while drunkenlikedrunkards,

# They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.

11 From you comes forthone

Who plots evil against theLord,

A wicked counselor.

12 Thus says theLord:

“Thoughtheyaresafe, and likewise many,

# Yet in this manner they will becut down

When he passes through.

Though I have afflicted you,

I will afflict you no more;

13 For now I will break off his yoke from you,

And burst your bonds apart.”

14 TheLordhas given a command concerning you:

“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.

Out of the house of your gods

I will cut off the carved image and the molded image.

# I will dig yourgrave,

# For you arevile.”

15 Behold, on the mountains

# Thefeet of him who brings good tidings,

Who proclaims peace!

O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,

Perform your vows.

For the wicked one shall no more pass through you;

# He isutterly cut off.

Nahum 2

The Destruction of Nineveh

1 He who scatters has come up before your face.

Man the fort!

Watch the road!

Strengthenyourflanks!

Fortifyyourpower mightily.

2 For theLordwill restore the excellence of Jacob

Like the excellence of Israel,

For the emptiers have emptied them out

And ruined their vine branches.

3 The shields of his mighty menaremade red,

The valiant menarein scarlet.

The chariotscomewith flaming torches

In the day of his preparation,

And the spears are brandished.

4 The chariots rage in the streets,

They jostle one another in the broad roads;

They seem like torches,

They run like lightning.

5 He remembers his nobles;

They stumble in their walk;

They make haste to her walls,

And the defense is prepared.

6 The gates of the rivers are opened,

And the palace is dissolved.

7 It is decreed:

She shall be led away captive,

She shall be brought up;

And her maidservants shall leadheras with the voice of doves,

Beating their breasts.

8 Though Nineveh of oldwaslike a pool of water,

Now they flee away.

“Halt! Halt!”theycry;

But no one turns back.

9 Take spoil of silver!

# Take spoil ofgold!

Thereisno end of treasure,

Or wealth of every desirable prize.

10 She is empty, desolate, and waste!

The heart melts, and the knees shake;

Much painisin every side,

And all their faces are drained of color.

11 Whereisthe dwelling of thelions,

And the feeding place of the young lions,

Where the lion walked, the lionessandlion’s cub,

And no one madethemafraid?

12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,

Killed for his lionesses,

# Filled his caves with prey,

And his dens with flesh.

13 “Behold,Iamagainst you,” says theLordof hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of yourmessengers shall be heard no more.”

Nahum 3

The Woe of Nineveh

1 Woe to thebloody city!

Itisall full of liesandrobbery.

Itsvictim never departs.

2 The noise of a whip

And the noise of rattling wheels,

Of galloping horses,

Of clattering chariots!

3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.

Thereisa multitude of slain,

A great number of bodies,

Countless corpses—

They stumble over the corpses—

4 Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot,

# The mistress of sorceries,

Who sells nations through her harlotries,

And families through her sorceries.

5 “Behold, Iamagainst you,” says theLordof hosts;

# “I will lift your skirts over your face,

I will show the nations your nakedness,

And the kingdoms your shame.

6 I will cast abominable filth upon you,

# Make youvile,

# And make youa spectacle.

7 It shall come to passthatall who look upon you

# Will flee from you, and say,

# ‘Nineveh is laid waste!

# Who will bemoan her?’

Where shall I seek comforters for you?”

8 Are you better thanNo Amon

Thatwassituated by the River,

That had the waters around her,

Whose rampartwasthe sea,

Whose wallwasthe sea?

9 Ethiopia and Egyptwereher strength,

Anditwasboundless;

# Put and Lubim were your helpers.

10 Yet shewascarried away,

She went into captivity;

# Her young children also were dashed to pieces

# At the head of every street;

# Theycast lots for her honorable men,

And all her great men were bound in chains.

11 You also will bedrunk;

You will be hidden;

You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

12 All your strongholdsarefig trees with ripened figs:

If they are shaken,

They fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 Surely,your people in your midstarewomen!

The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;

# Fire shall devour thebars of yourgates.

14 Draw your water for the siege!

# Fortify your strongholds!

Go into the clay and tread the mortar!

Make strong the brick kiln!

15 There the fire will devour you,

The sword will cut you off;

# It will eat you up like alocust.

Make yourself many—like the locust!

Make yourself many— like theswarminglocusts!

16 You have multiplied yourmerchants more than the stars of heaven.

The locust plunders and flies away.

17 Your commandersarelikeswarminglocusts,

And your generals like great grasshoppers,

Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;

When the sun rises they flee away,

And the place where theyareis not known.

18 Your shepherds slumber, Oking of Assyria;

Your nobles restinthedust.

# Your people arescattered on the mountains,

And no one gathers them.

19 Your injuryhasno healing,

# Your wound is severe.

# All who hear news of you

Will claptheirhands over you,

For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?