But the multitudeof your enemieswill becomelike finedust,And the multitudeof the ruthlessoneslike the chaffwhich blowsaway;And it will happeninstantly,suddenly.
Whilethey are saying,"Peaceand safety!"thendestructionwill comeupon them suddenlylikelabor painsupon a woman with child,and they will not escape.
Then the angelof the LORDwentout and struck185000in the campof the Assyrians;and when men aroseearlyin the morning,behold,allof these were dead.
Thereforethisiniquitywill be to you Like a breachabout to fall,A bulgein a highwall,Whosecollapsecomessuddenlyin an instant,
And the Assyrianwill fallby a swordnot of man,And a swordnot of manwill devourhim. So he will not escapethe sword,And his youngmenwill becomeforcedlaborers.
Now the Egyptiansare menand not God,And their horsesare fleshand not spirit;So the LORDwill stretchout His hand,And he who helpswill stumbleAnd he who is helpedwill fall,And allof them will cometo an endtogether.
Like heatin drought,You subduethe uproarof aliens;[Like] heatby the shadowof a cloud,the songof the ruthlessis silenced.
Let them be like chaffbeforethe wind,With the angelof the LORDdriving[them] on.
The wickedare not so,But they are like chaffwhichthe winddrivesaway.
"Are they as strawbeforethe wind,And like chaffwhich the stormcarriesaway?
Thus I will punishthe worldfor its evilAnd the wickedfor their iniquity;I will also putan endto the arroganceof the proudAnd abasethe haughtinessof the ruthless.
Thereforea strongpeoplewill glorifyYou; Citiesof ruthlessnationswill revereYou.
For You have beena defensefor the helpless,A defensefor the needyin his distress,A refugefrom the storm,a shadefrom the heat;For the breathof the ruthlessIs like a [rain] storm[against] a wall.
For the ruthlesswill cometo an endand the scornerwill be finished,Indeed allwho are intenton doingevilwill be cutoff;
Behold,the nationsare like a dropfrom a bucket,And are regardedas a speckof duston the scales;Behold,He liftsup the islandslike finedust.
"Behold,allthose who are angeredat you will be shamedand dishonored;Thosewhocontendwith you will be as nothingand will perish.
"Behold,I have madeyou a new,sharpthreshingsledgewith double edges;You will threshthe mountainsand pulverize[them], And will makethe hillslike chaff.
"You will winnowthem, and the windwill carrythem away, And the stormwill scatterthem; But you will rejoicein the LORD,You will gloryin the HolyOneof Israel.
"But evilwill comeon you Which you will not knowhow to charmaway;And disasterwill fallon you For which you cannotatone;And destructionabout which you do not knowWill comeon you suddenly.
"I declaredthe formerthingslongagoAnd they wentforthfrom My mouth,and I proclaimedthem. SuddenlyI acted,and they cameto pass.
It is He who flashesforth[with] destructionupon the strong,So that destructioncomesupon the fortress.
