What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops? ²O thou that art full of shoutings, a tumultuous city, a joyous town; thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle. ³All thy rulers fled away together, they were bound by the archers; all that were found of thee were bound together; they fled afar off. ⁴Therefore said I, Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; labor not to comfort me for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

⁵For it is a day of discomfiture, and of treading down, and of perplexity, from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, in the valley of vision; a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains. ⁶And Elam bare the quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield. ⁷And it came to pass, that thy choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate. ⁸And he took away the covering of Judah; and thou didst look in that day to the armor in the house of the forest. ⁹And ye saw the breaches of the city of David, that they were many; and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool; ¹⁰and ye numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and ye brake down the houses to fortify the wall; ¹¹ye made also a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But ye looked not unto him that had done this, neither had ye respect unto him that purposed it long ago.

¹²And in that day did the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: ¹³and behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die. ¹⁴And Jehovah of hosts revealed himself in mine ears, Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you till ye die, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

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