24. They will become thin from hunger. Terrible diseases will destroy them. I will send wild animals against them. Poisonous snakes and lizards will bite them.
25. In the streets, soldiers will kill them. In their houses, terrible things will happen. Soldiers will kill young men and women. They will kill babies and old people.
26. “‘I thought about destroying the Israelites so that people would forget them completely!
27. But I know what their enemies would say. The enemy would not understand. They would brag and say, “The Lord did not destroy Israel. We won by our own power!”’
28. “They are foolish. They don’t understand.
29. If they were wise, they would understand; they would know what would happen to them.
30. Can one person chase away 1000 men? Can two men cause 10,000 men to run away? It will happen only if the Lord gives them to their enemy. This will happen only if their Rock sells them like slaves.
31. The ‘rock’ of our enemies is not strong like our Rock. Even our enemies know that.
32. Their vines and fields will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah. Their grapes are like bitter poison.
33. Their wine is like the poison of deadly snakes.
34. “The Lord says, ‘I am saving that punishment. I have it locked up in my storehouse!
35. I will punish them for the bad things they did. But I am saving that punishment for when they slip and do bad things. Their time of trouble is near. Their punishment will come quickly.’
36. “The Lord will judge his people. They are his servants, and he will show them mercy. He will see that their power is gone. He will see that they are all helpless— the slaves and free people too.