“But evil shall come upon you, you not knowing from where it arises, and trouble fall upon you, you being unable to put it off, and ruin come upon you suddenly, which you know not.
“But the crowd of those strange to you shall be like fine dust, and the crowd of the ruthless ones as chaff blowing away. And it shall be in an instant, suddenly!”
And a messenger of יהוה went out, and struck in the camp of Ashshur one hundred and eighty-five thousand. And they arose early in the morning, and saw all of them, dead bodies.
“Both of these come to you suddenly, in one day: the loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in completeness, because of your many witchcrafts, for your numerous great potent spells.
“No, you have not heard; no, you have not known; no, from of old your ear has not been open. Because I knew that you are indeed treacherous, and are called ‘a transgressor from the womb.’
The righteous one has perished, and no one takes it to heart. And committed men are taken away, while no one understands that the righteous one is taken away from the presence of evil,
so that the land shakes and writhes in pain. For every plan of יהוה shall be established against Baḇel, to make the land of Baḇel a ruin, without inhabitant.
“They have heard that I sighed, With no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my calamity, They have rejoiced that You have done it. You shall bring on the day that You have announced, So let them become like me.
Calamity upon calamity shall come, and report shall be upon report. And they shall seek a vision from a prophet. But the teaching has perished from the priest, and counsel from the elders!
“They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noaḥ went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
“Remember, then, how you have received, and heard. And watch and repent. If, then, you do not wake up, I shall come upon you as a thief, and you shall not know at all what hour I come upon you.