⁵ “Who will ·feel sorry for [have pity on] you, Jerusalem?
    Who will ·be sad and cry [grieve] for you?
    Who will go out of his way to ask how you are [Nah. 3:7]?
⁶ You [^CJerusalem] have ·left me [cast me off],” says the Lord.
    “You keep going ·farther and farther away [backward],
so I have ·taken hold of you [^Lstretched out my hand] and destroyed you.
    I was tired of ·holding back my anger [relenting].
⁷ I have ·separated [winnowed] them [^Cthe people of Judah] with my ·pitchfork [winnowing fork] in the gates of the land.
My people haven’t changed their ways.
    So I have destroyed ·them [^Lmy people]
    and ·taken away their children [bereaved them].
⁸ There are more widows than grains of sand in the sea [^Can ironic reference to Gen. 22:17; 32:12; 41:49].
I brought a destroyer at noontime
    against the mothers of the young men of Judah.
I suddenly ·brought pain and fear
    on the people of Judah [^Lmade anguish and fear fall on them].
⁹ A woman with seven sons ·felt faint [languishes; ^Cbecause they would all die].
    She ·became weak and unable to breathe [^Lswoons].
Her ·bright day became dark from sadness [^Lsun went down while it was still day].
    She felt ·shame [humiliation] and disgrace.
And ·everyone else left alive in Judah [^Lthe rest of them]
    I will hand over to the sword of their enemies, too!” says the Lord.