Jeremiah 4:23-29

The Voice

²³ I looked at the earth and saw that it was again formless and empty;
    I looked at the heavens and saw no light.
²⁴ I looked at the mountains and saw them quaking;
    all the hills, they shuddered.
²⁵ I looked around and saw no hint of life.
    The people were gone. The birds had fled the sky.
²⁶ I looked at what was once a garden and saw a desert—
    the rubble of its cities torn down right in front of the Eternal and His fierce anger.

²⁷ Eternal One: The whole land will lie in ruin,
        but I will not completely destroy it.
²⁸     Because of this devastation,
        the earth will mourn and the skies will darken—for I have spoken.
    Once I have decided, I will not change My mind.
        I will not turn back from this.

²⁹ As the horseman thunders closer and the archer draws near,
    the people panic and the cities empty.
They scatter to the bushes; they scramble to the hills.
    The villages are abandoned, for no one dares remain.