Their roar is like a lion’s; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they drag it away and no one can come to the rescue.

He feeds on ashes; ¹  his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ ² 

“Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?” asks the Lord. “Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?” asks your God. ¹ 

But Baruch son of Neriah is stirring you up against us. ¹  He wants to hand us over ²  to the Babylonians ³  so that they will kill us or carry us off into exile in Babylon.”

I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar and his troops, who want to kill them. But later on, people will live in Egypt again as they did in former times. I, the Lord, affirm it!” ¹ 

Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, ¹  and Job, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, declares the sovereign Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “Because Gaza ¹  has committed three crimes ²  – make that four! ³  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁴  They deported a whole community ⁵  and sold them ⁶  to Edom.

The Lord God appointed ¹  a little plant ²  and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue ³  him from his misery. ⁴  Now Jonah was very delighted ⁵  about the little plant.

Whenever ¹  they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, ²  for what you should say will be given to you at that time. ³ 

“You must watch out for yourselves. You will be handed over ¹  to councils ²  and beaten in the synagogues. ³  You will stand before governors and kings ⁴  because of me, as a witness to them.

I will therefore have him flogged ¹  and release him.” ² 

Be careful that ¹  no one entices you with riches; do not let a large bribe ²  turn you aside.

Many say about me, “God will not deliver him.” ¹  (Selah) ² 

Come near me and redeem me! ¹  Because of my enemies, rescue me!

when God arose to execute judgment, and to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. (Selah)

Do not say, ¹  “I will pay back ²  evil!” Wait ³  for the Lord, so that he may vindicate you. ⁴ 

So I defiled your holy princes, and handed Jacob over to destruction, and subjected ¹  Israel to humiliating abuse.”

Together they bend low and kneel down; they are unable to rescue the images; ¹  they themselves ²  head off into captivity. ³ 

Why does no one challenge me when I come? Why does no one respond when I call? ¹  Is my hand too weak ²  to deliver ³  you? Do I lack the power to rescue you? Look, with a mere shout ⁴  I can dry up the sea; I can turn streams into a desert, so the fish rot away and die from lack of water. ⁵ 

“Get out of Babylon, my people! Flee to save your lives from the fierce anger of the Lord! ¹