20. Disaster follows disaster.The whole country has been destroyed.My tents are destroyed in only a moment.My curtains are torn down quickly.
21. How long must I look at the war flag?How long must I listen to the war trumpets?
22. The Lord says, “My people are foolish.They do not know me.They are stupid children.They don’t understand.They are skillful at doing evil.They don’t know how to do good.”
23. I looked at the earth.It was empty and had no shape!I looked at the sky.And its light was gone.
24. I looked at the mountains,and they were shaking!All the hills were trembling.
25. I looked, and there were no people!Every bird in the sky had flown away.
26. I looked, and the good, rich land had become a desert!All its towns had been destroyed.The Lord and his great anger has caused this.
27. This is what the Lord says:“All the land will be ruined.But I will not completely destroy it.
28. So the people in the land will cry loudly.And the sky will grow dark.This is because I have spoken and will not change my mind.I have made a decision, and I will not change it.”