21. You think you are clever and wise.
22. And you are great at drinking and mixing drinks. But you are in for trouble.
23. You accept bribes to let the guilty go free, and you cheat the innocent out of a fair trial.
24. You will go up in flames like straw and hay! You have rejected the teaching of the holy Lord God All-Powerful of Israel. Now your roots will rot, and your blossoms will turn to dust.
25. You are the Lord's people, but you made him terribly angry, and he struck you with his mighty arm. Mountains shook, and dead bodies covered the streets like rubbish. The Lord is still angry, and he is ready to strike you again.
26. The Lord has signalled for the foreign nations to come and attack you. He has already whistled, and they are coming as fast as they can.
27. None of them are tired. They don't sleep or get drowsy, and they run without stumbling. Their belts don't come loose; their sandal straps don't break.
28. Their arrows are sharp, and their bows are ready. The hoofs of their horses are hard as flint; the wheels of their war chariots turn as fast as a whirlwind.
29. They roar and growl like fierce young lions as they grab their victims and drag them off where no one can rescue them.
30. On the day they attack, they will roar like the sea. And across the land you will see nothing but darkness and trouble, because the light of day will be covered by thick clouds.