¹⁵ And the thornbush replied to the trees,
‘If you truly want to make me your king,
    come and take shelter in my shade.
If not, let fire come out from me
    and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”

¹⁰ Let burning coals fall down on their heads.
    Let them be thrown into the fire
    or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.

³ O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you?
    How will he increase your punishment?
⁴ You will be pierced with sharp arrows
    and burned with glowing coals.

¹ Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?
    Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
² All day long you plot destruction.
    Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
    you’re an expert at telling lies.
³ You love evil more than good
    and lies more than truth. Interlude

⁴ You love to destroy others with your words,
    you liar!
⁵ But God will strike you down once and for all.
    He will pull you from your home
    and uproot you from the land of the living. Interlude

⁴ Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!
    Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.
Pay them back for all their evil deeds!
    Give them a taste of what they have done to others.

⁹ You will throw them in a flaming furnace
    when you appear.
The Lord will consume them in his anger;
    fire will devour them.
¹⁰ You will wipe their children from the face of the earth;
    they will never have descendants.