21. And so I will make these people stumble and fall. Parents and children will die, and so will friends and neighbours.”
22. The Lord says, “People are coming from a country in the north; a mighty nation far away is preparing for war.
23. They have taken up their bows and swords; they are cruel and merciless. They sound like the roaring sea, as they ride their horses. They are ready for battle against Jerusalem.”
24. “We have heard the news,” say the people of Jerusalem, “and our hands hang limp; we are seized by anguish and pain like a woman in labour.
25. We dare not go to the countryside or walk on the roads, because our enemies are armed and terror is all round us.”