25. Outside, the sword will bring death,and inside, terror will strikeboth young men and young women,both infants and the aged.
26. I would have annihilated them,wiping out even the memory of them.
27. But I feared the taunt of Israel’s enemy,who might misunderstand and say,“Our own power has triumphed!The lord had nothing to do with this!”’
28. “But Israel is a senseless nation;the people are foolish, without understanding.
29. Oh, that they were wise and could understand this!Oh, that they might know their fate!