Isaiah 5:22–30

²²What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine

and boast about all the alcohol they can hold.

²³They take bribes to let the wicked go free,

and they punish the innocent.

²⁴Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble

and dry grass shrivels in the flame,

so their roots will rot

and their flowers wither.

For they have rejected the law of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies;

they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

²⁵That is why the Lord’s anger burns against his people,

and why he has raised his fist to crush them.

The mountains tremble,

and the corpses of his people litter the streets like garbage.

But even then the Lord’s anger is not satisfied.

His fist is still poised to strike!

²⁶He will send a signal to distant nations far away

and whistle to those at the ends of the earth.

They will come racing toward Jerusalem.

²⁷They will not get tired or stumble.

They will not stop for rest or sleep.

Not a belt will be loose,

not a sandal strap broken.

²⁸Their arrows will be sharp

and their bows ready for battle.

Sparks will fly from their horses’ hooves,

and the wheels of their chariots will spin like a whirlwind.

²⁹They will roar like lions,

like the strongest of lions.

Growling, they will pounce on their victims and carry them off,

and no one will be there to rescue them.

³⁰They will roar over their victims on that day of destruction

like the roaring of the sea.

If someone looks across the land,

only darkness and distress will be seen;

even the light will be darkened by clouds.