But the multitudeof your enemieswill becomelike finedust,And the multitudeof the ruthlessoneslike the chaffwhich blowsaway;And it will happeninstantly,suddenly.
"Are they as strawbeforethe wind,And like chaffwhich the stormcarriesaway?
The wickedare not so,But they are like chaffwhichthe winddrivesaway.
Let them be like chaffbeforethe wind,With the angelof the LORDdriving[them] on.
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.
Like heatin drought,You subduethe uproarof aliens;[Like] heatby the shadowof a cloud,the songof the ruthlessis silenced.
For the ruthlesswill cometo an endand the scornerwill be finished,Indeed allwho are intenton doingevilwill be cutoff;
Thereforethisiniquitywill be to you Like a breachabout to fall,A bulgein a highwall,Whosecollapsecomessuddenlyin an instant,
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.
And the Assyrianwill fallby a swordnot of man,And a swordnot of manwill devourhim. So he will not escapethe sword,And his youngmenwill becomeforcedlaborers.
Then the angelof the LORDwentout and struck185000in the campof the Assyrians;and when men aroseearlyin the morning,behold,allof these were dead.
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.
Whilethey are saying,"Peaceand safety!"thendestructionwill comeupon them suddenlylikelabor painsupon a woman with child,and they will not escape.
