1Distress and the sound of war hath my ear heard;
The sound of a trumpet announcing slaughter and calamity,

2The sound of much people as of an exceeding high wind,
As a tempest with mighty fire sweeping through the Negeb.

3And I said in my heart,
Where then will God judge him?

4A sound I hear moving toward Jerusalem, the holy city.

5My loins were broken at what I heard,
My knees tottered, my heart was afraid:
My bones were dismayed like flax.

6I said, They establish their ways in righteousness.

7I thought upon the judgments of God since the creation of heaven and earth;
I held God righteous in his judgments which have been from of old.

8God laid bare their sins in the full light of day;
All the earth came to know the righteous judgments of God.

9In secret places underground their iniquities were committed to provoke him to anger;
They wrought confusion, son with mother and father with daughter;

10They committed adultery, every man with his neighbor’s wife.
They concluded covenants with one another with an oath touching these things.

11They plundered the sanctuary of God,
As though there was no avenger.

12They trod the altar of the Lord, coming straight from all manner of uncleanness;
And with menstrual blood they defiled the sacrifices, as though these were common flesh.

13They left no sin undone, wherein they surpassed not the heathen.

14Therefore God mingled for them a spirit of wandering;
And gave them to drink a cup of undiluted wine, that they might become drunken.

15He brought him that is from the end of the earth, that smiteth mightily;
He decreed war against Jerusalem, and against her land.

16The princes of the land went to meet him with joy:
They said unto him, Blessed be thy way! Come ye, enter ye in with peace.

17They made the rough ways even, before his entering in;
They opened the gates to Jerusalem, they crowned its walls.

18As a father entereth the house of his sons, so he entered Jerusalem in peace;
He established his feet there in great safety.

19He captured her fortresses and the wall of Jerusalem;
For God himself led him in safety, while they wandered.

20He destroyed their princes and everyone wise in counsel;
He poured out the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, like the water of uncleanness.

21He led away their sons and daughters, whom they had begotten in defilement.

22They did according to their uncleanness, even as their fathers had done:
They defiled Jerusalem and the things that had been hallowed to the name of God.

23But God hath shown himself righteous in his judgments upon the nations of the earth;
And the pious servants of God are like innocent lambs in their midst.

24Worthy to be praised is the Lord that judgeth the whole earth in his righteousness.

25Behold, now, O God, thou hast shown us thy judgment in thy righteousness;
Our eyes have seen thy judgments, O God.

26We have justified thy name that is honored forever;
For thou art the God of righteousness, judging Israel with chastening.

27Turn, O God, thy mercy upon us,
And have pity upon us;

28Gather together the dispersed of Israel, with mercy and goodness;
For thy faithfulness is with us.

29And though we have stiffened our neck,
Yet thou art our chastener;

30Overlook us not, O our God,
Lest the nations swallow us up, as though there were none to deliver.

31But thou art our God from the beginning,
And upon thee is our hope set, O Lord;

32And we will not depart from thee,
For good are thy judgments upon us.

33Ours and our children’s be thy good pleasure forever;
O Lord our Savior, we shall never more be moved.

34The Lord is worthy to be praised for his judgments with the mouth of his pious ones;
And blessed be Israel of the Lord forever.