Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

14 Fools say in their hearts, There is no God.
    They are corrupt and do evil things;
    not one of them does anything good.

¹³ Look! He approaches like the clouds;
        his chariots advance like a tempest,
        his horses swifter than eagles.
    How horrible! We’re doomed!
¹⁴ Cleanse your heart of evil, Jerusalem,
    that you may be saved.
    How long will you entertain your destructive ideas?
¹⁵ A voice declares from Dan;
    someone proclaims disaster from the highlands of Ephraim.
¹⁶ Warn the nations,
    proclaim it to Jerusalem!
        Armies are approaching from a far-away country,
        raising their war cries against the towns of Judah.
¹⁷ They hem her in like those guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled against me,
        declares the Lord.
¹⁸ Your own conduct, your own deeds have done this to you.
This is your payment and how bitter it is,
    piercing into the depths of your heart.

¹⁹ Oh, my suffering, my suffering!
    My pain is unbearable;
    my heart is in turmoil;
    it throbs nonstop.
I can’t be silent, because I hear the blast of the trumpet
    and the roar of the battle cry!
²⁰ Disaster follows disaster;
    the whole land is ruined.
Suddenly, my tents are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
²¹ How long must I see the battle flags
    and hear the blast of the trumpet?

²⁹ As the horsemen and archers approach,
    the people take flight.
They hide in the bushes
    and escape to the cliffs.
Every city is deserted;
    no one remains.
³⁰ And you, devastated one,
    why dress up in scarlet,
    deck yourself in gold jewelry,
    and color your eyes with paint?
In vain you get all decked out;
    your lovers have rejected you
    and now seek your life.
³¹ I hear the cry of a woman in labor,
    the distress of one delivering her first child.
It is the cry of Daughter Zion,
    gasping for breath,
    her arms stretched out,
    and moaning,
    “I’m about to fall into the hands of murderers!”