8 He removed the defenses of Judah.

On that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest.t 9 You saw that there were many breaches in the walls of the city of David.u You collected water from the lower pool.v 10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem so that you could tear them down to fortify the wall. 11 You made a reservoir between the wallsw for the water of the ancient pool,x but you did not look to the one who made it, or consider the one who created it long ago.

12 On that day the Lord God of Armies

called for weeping,y for wailing, for shaven heads,

and for the wearing of sackcloth.

13 But look: joy and gladness,

butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep and goats,

eating of meat, and drinking of wine—

“Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”a

14 The Lord of Armies has directly revealed to me:b

“This iniquity will not be wiped out for you people as long as you live.”A,c

The Lord God of Armies has spoken.