²³ I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void,^[a]
    at the heavens, and there was no light there.
²⁴ I looked at the mountains; they were quaking,
    and all the hills moved back and forth.
²⁵ I looked, and no people were there.
    All the birds of the sky had gone.
²⁶ I looked, and the fruitful land^[b] had become a desert.
    All its towns were broken down
because of the Lord,
    because of his burning anger.
²⁷ For this is what the Lord says:
“The entire land will be devastated,
    but I won’t completely destroy^[c] it.
²⁸ Because of this, the land will mourn,
    and the heavens above will be dark.
Because I have spoken and decided,
    I won’t turn back from doing it.”

²⁹ At the sound of the horseman and the archer
    the entire city flees.
Its residents go into the thickets and climb among the rocks.
    Every city is abandoned, and no one lives in them.