3. At the noise, peoples fled;on account of your roar, nations scattered.
4. They gathered spoil like insects;they rushed upon it like a swarm of locusts.
5. The Lord is exalted; he lives on high,filling Zion with justice and righteousness.
6. He will provide security during a lifetime:a source of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge—fear of the Lord will be Zion’s treasure.
7. But then those in Ariel cried out in the streets;messengers of peace wept bitterly.
8. The highways were deserted;travelers left the road.The covenant was broken;solemn pledges were rejected;no one cared for humanity.
9. The land mourned; it wasted away;Lebanon was ashamed; it withered.Sharon became like the desert,and Bashan and Carmel were dropping their leaves.