A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land {is} as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, {and} dry like a wilderness.

So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I {am} the LORD. {more...: or, desolate from the wilderness}

{Is} not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? {the heavy...: Heb. the bundles of the yoke} {oppressed: Heb. broken}

I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts. {direct: or, make straight}

Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which {is} in Judah.

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. {as...: Heb. as the overthrowing}

And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah {were} oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; {those...: Heb. the children of death}

I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

But this {is} a people robbed and spoiled; {they are} all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. {they are all...: or, in snaring all the young men of them} {for a spoil: Heb. a treading}

To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,

That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! {proverb: or, taunting speech} {golden...: or, exactress of gold}

Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?

O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them. {O thou...: or, The destructions of the enemy are come to a perpetual end: and their cities hast thou destroyed, etc}