Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him; they raise their voices in triumph. ¹  They have laid his land waste; his cities have been burned down and deserted. ² 

Then I said, ¹  “Look up, Jerusalem, ²  and see the enemy ³  that is coming from the north. Where now is the flock of people that were entrusted to your care? ⁴  Where now are the ‘sheep’ that you take such pride in? ⁵ 

and on the mountains and in the fields. ¹  I will give your wealth and all your treasures away as plunder. I will give it away as the price ²  for the sins you have committed throughout your land.

צ (Tsade) Our enemies ¹  hunted us down at every step ²  so that we could not walk about in our streets. Our end drew near, our days were numbered, ³  for our end had come!

ק (Qof) Those who pursued us were swifter than eagles ¹  in the sky. ²  They chased us over the mountains; they ambushed us in the wilderness.

That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. ¹ 

This is what the sovereign Lord says: The enemy has spoken against you, saying “Aha!” and, “The ancient heights ¹  have become our property!”’

When the army is taken away, the king of the south will become arrogant. ¹  He will be responsible for the death ²  of thousands and thousands of people, ³  but he will not continue to prevail.

A sword will flash in their cities, it will destroy the bars of their city gates, and will devour them in their fortresses.

You should not have stood at the fork in the road ¹  to slaughter ²  those trying to escape. ³  You should not have captured their refugees when they suffered adversity. ⁴ 

Don’t spread the news in Gath! ¹  Don’t shed even a single tear! ²  In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust! ³ 

For the Lord will restore ¹  the majesty ²  of Jacob, as well as ³  the majesty of Israel, though ⁴  their enemies have plundered them ⁵  and have destroyed their fields. ⁶ 

You made people like fish in the sea, like animals in the sea ¹  that have no ruler.

“The Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much concerned for Zion; indeed, I am so concerned for her that my rage will fall on those who hurt her.’

When ¹  he said this all his adversaries were humiliated, ²  but ³  the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things ⁴  he was doing. ⁵ 

Then ¹  comes the end, ²  when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power.

because they bring trouble to you by their treachery with which they have deceived ¹  you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, ²  their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague that happened as a result of Peor.”

He will withhold from all of them his children’s flesh that he is eating (since there is nothing else left), because of the severity of the siege by which your enemy will constrict ¹  you in your villages.

David said on that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ who are David’s enemies ¹  by going through the water tunnel.” ²  For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame cannot enter the palace.” ³ 

he ¹  sent his son Joram ²  to King David to extend his best wishes ³  and to pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Toi had been at war with Hadadezer. ⁴  He brought with him various items made of silver, gold, and bronze. ⁵