⁷ A ^(A)lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a ^(B)destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To ^(C)make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins,
Without an inhabitant.

²⁰ He says, “You are My ^[a](A)war-club, My weapon of war;
And with you I ^(B)shatter nations,
And with you I destroy kingdoms.
²¹ With you I ^(C)shatter the horse and his rider,
And with you I shatter the ^(D)chariot and its rider,
²² And with you I shatter ^(E)man and woman,
And with you I shatter the old man and ^(F)youth,
And with you I shatter the young man and virgin,
²³ And with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock,
And with you I shatter the farmer and his team,
And with you I shatter governors and officials.

⁶ For behold, I am ^(A)raising up the Chaldeans,
That ^[a]grim and impetuous people
Who march ^[b]throughout the earth,
To ^(B)take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.

¹⁰ They ^(A)make fun of kings,
And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them.
They ^(B)laugh at every fortress,
Then ^(C)heap up dirt and ^[a]capture it.