The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. They beat me, they bruised me; they took away my cloak, those watchmen on the walls!

The night watchmen found me – the ones who guard the city walls. ¹  “Have you seen my beloved?” ² 

The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north; round and round ¹  the wind goes and on its rounds it returns. ² 

“Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel, ‘The days pass slowly, and every vision fails’?

“You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying, ¹  ‘The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah ²  that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. ³ 

Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹  the last state of that person ²  is worse than the first.” ³ 

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹  the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”