23. “I looked at the land and saw that it was an empty wasteland.I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.
24. I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking.All the hills were swaying back and forth!
25. I looked and saw that there were no more people,and that all the birds in the sky had flown away.
26. I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desertand that all of the cities had been laid in ruins.The Lord had brought this all aboutbecause of his blazing anger.
27. All this will happen because the Lord said,“The whole land will be desolate;however, I will not completely destroy it.
28. Because of this the land will mournand the sky above will grow black.For I have made my purpose knownand I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.”
29. At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archersthe people of every town will flee.Some of them will hide in the thickets.Others will climb up among the rocks.All the cities will be deserted.No one will remain in them.
30. And you, Zion, city doomed to destruction,you accomplish nothing by wearing a beautiful dress,decking yourself out in jewels of gold,and putting on eye shadow!You are making yourself beautiful for nothing.Your lovers spurn you.They want to kill you.
31. In fact, I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.It is the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath,reaching out for help, saying, “I am done in!My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”