"I will gobeforeyou and makethe roughplacessmooth;I will shatterthe doorsof bronzeand cutthroughtheir ironbars.
For He has shatteredgatesof bronzeAnd cutbarsof ironasunder.
Liftup a standardon the barehill,Raiseyour voiceto them, Wavethe handthat they may enterthe doorsof the nobles.
"Wail,O gate;cry,O city;Meltaway, O Philistia,allof you; For smokecomesfrom the north,And thereis nostragglerin his ranks.
Desolationis leftin the cityAnd the gateis batteredto ruins.
"Let everyvalleybe liftedup, And everymountainand hillbe madelow;And let the roughgroundbecomea plain,And the ruggedterraina broadvalley;
"I will leadthe blindby a waythey do not know,In pathsthey do not knowI will guidethem. I will makedarknessinto lightbeforethem And ruggedplacesinto plains.Theseare the thingsI will do,And I will not leavethem undone."
"I have arousedhim in righteousnessAnd I will makeallhis wayssmooth;He will buildMy cityand will letMy exilesgofree,Withoutany paymentor reward,"saysthe LORDof hosts.
"I, even I, have spoken;indeedI have calledhim, I have broughthim, and He will makehis wayssuccessful.
"Goand speakto Hananiah,saying,'Thussaysthe LORD,"You have brokenthe yokesof wood,but you have madeinsteadof them yokesof iron."
The mightymenof Babylonhave ceasedfighting,They stayin the strongholds;Their strengthis exhausted,They are becoming[like] women;Their dwellingplacesare seton fire,The barsof her [gates] are broken.
Thussaysthe LORDof hosts,"The broadwallof Babylonwill be completelyrazedAnd her highgateswill be seton fire;So the peopleswill toilfor nothing,And the nationsbecomeexhausted[only] for fire."
"'PERES--your kingdomhas beendividedand givenover to the Medesand Persians."
I sawthe rambuttingwestward,northward,and southward,and no[other] beastscould standbeforehim norwas thereanyone to rescuefrom his power,but he didas he pleasedand magnified[himself].
Behold,your peopleare womenin your midst!The gatesof your landare openedwideto your enemies;Fireconsumesyour gate bars.
EVERYRAVINEWILL BE FILLED,AND EVERYMOUNTAINAND HILLWILL BE BROUGHT LOW;THE CROOKEDWILL BECOMESTRAIGHT,AND THE ROUGHROADSSMOOTH;
At thistimePeterstoodup in the midstof the brethren(a gatheringof aboutone hundredand twentypersonswas there together),and said,
