7. A lion has come out of his den;a destroyer of nations has begun to march.He has left his hometo destroy your land.Your towns will be destroyedwith no one left to live in them.
8. So put on rough cloth,show how sad you are, and cry loudly.The terrible anger of the Lordhas not turned away from us.
9. “When this happens,” says the Lord,“the king and officers will lose their courage.The priests will be terribly afraid,and the prophets will be shocked!”
10. Then I said, “Lord God, you have tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You said, ‘You will have peace,’ but now the sword is pointing at our throats!”
11. At that time this message will be given to Judah and Jerusalem: “A hot wind blows from the bare hilltops of the desert toward the Lord’s people. It is not a gentle wind to separate grain from chaff.
12. I feel a stronger wind than that. Now even I will announce judgments against the people of Judah.”
13. Look! The enemy rises up like a cloud,and his chariots come like a tornado.His horses are faster than eagles.How terrible it will be for us! We are ruined!
14. People of Jerusalem, clean the evil from your hearts so that you can be saved.Don’t continue making evil plans.
15. A voice from Dan makes an announcementand brings bad news from the mountains of Ephraim.
16. “Report this to the nations.Spread this news in Jerusalem:‘Invaders are coming from a faraway country,shouting words of war against the cities of Judah.
17. The enemy has surrounded Jerusalem as men guard a field,because Judah turned against me,’ ” says the Lord.