⁴⁷ Say to the southern forest:^(A) ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume^(B) all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north^(C) will be scorched by it.^(D)

³¹ For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”^(A)

²⁴ All the trees of the forest^(A) will know that I the Lord bring down^(B) the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.^(C)

“‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.^(D)’”

The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble,^(A) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,^(B) where the fire never goes out.^{(C) [44] [a] 45} And if your foot causes you to stumble,^(D) cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.^{(E) [46] [b] 47} And if your eye causes you to stumble,^(F) pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,^{(G) 48} where

⁴⁹ Everyone will be salted^(I) with fire.

²⁰ As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you.^{(A) 21} I will gather you and I will blow^(B) on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her.^(C)

³ and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you.^(A) I will draw my sword^(B) from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.^{(C) 4} Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword^(D) will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.^(E)