All of them are ready and willing to destroy others. Their huge armies advance like a wind out of the desert. They gather prisoners like sand.

都为行强暴而来，定住脸面向前，将掳掠的人聚集，多如尘沙。

都为施行残暴而来，他们的脸面向东，聚集俘虏，多如尘沙。

都为施行残暴而来，他们的脸面向东，聚集俘虏，多如尘沙。

他们残暴成性，像狂风一样扑来，抓获的俘虏多如尘沙。

他们定着脸面向前，齐来行暴，掳获战俘多如尘沙。

都為行強暴而來，定住臉面向前，將擄掠的人聚集，多如塵沙。

都為施行殘暴而來，他們的臉面向東，聚集俘虜，多如塵沙。

都為施行殘暴而來，他們的臉面向東，聚集俘虜，多如塵沙。

他們殘暴成性，像狂風一樣撲來，抓獲的俘虜多如塵沙。

他們定著臉面向前，齊來行暴，擄獲戰俘多如塵沙。

他們都為了行強暴而來；未到之先、人就懼怕他們。他們聚集被擄的人、多如塵沙。

彼之來也、為行強暴、奮勇直前、聚厥俘虜、如沙之多、

其色甚厲、若東風驟起、既至斯土、強據人民、所獲俘囚、有若海沙、

彼眾咸來、以行強暴、長驅大進、勢若東風、擄掠人民、多若塵沙、

they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.

They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand.

“ On they come, all bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind, sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.

All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand.

All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They gather captives like sand.

“ They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.

They come all of them for violence; the set of their faces is forwards; and they gather captives as the sand.

All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand.

They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up[ as] the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.

All of them intend to do violence; every face is determined. They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand.

All of them come for violence. Their hordes face the desert. He gathers prisoners like sand.

At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be warned. They will be told,“ A hot and dry wind is coming, my people. It is blowing toward you from the bare hilltops in the desert. But it does not separate straw from grain.

“ I thought,‘ I’ll die in my own house. The days of my life will be as many as the grains of sand.

But I am going to give an order,” announces the Lord.“ I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it. They will capture it and burn it down. And I will completely destroy the towns of Judah. No one will be able to live there.”

They will eat up the young animals among your livestock. They’ll eat up the crops on your land. They’ll destroy you. They won’t leave you any grain, olive oil or fresh wine. They won’t leave you any calves or lambs. They’ll destroy you.They’ll surround all the cities throughout your whole land. They’ll attack those cities until the high, strong walls you trust in fall down. That’s what will happen to the cities in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

“ Wine makes the Babylonians do foolish things. They are proud. They never rest. Like the grave, they are always hungry for more. Like death, they are never satisfied. They gather all the nations to themselves. They take all those people away as prisoners.“ Won’t those people laugh at the Babylonians? Won’t they make fun of them? They will say to them,“‘ How terrible it will be for you who pile up stolen goods! You get rich by cheating others. How long will this go on?’Those you owe money to will suddenly rise up. They will wake up and make you tremble with fear. Then they will take away everything you have.You have robbed many nations. So the nations that are left will rob you. You have spilled human blood. You have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.“ How terrible it will be for the Babylonians! They build their kingdom with money that they gained by cheating others. They have tried to make the kingdom as secure as possible. After all, they did not want to be destroyed.They have planned to wipe out many nations. But they have brought shame on their own kingdom. So they must pay with their own lives.The stones in the walls of their homes will cry out. And the wooden beams will echo that cry.“ How terrible it will be for the Babylonians! They build cities by spilling the blood of others. They establish towns by doing what is wrong.I am the Lord who rules over all. Human effort is no better than wood that feeds a fire. So the nations wear themselves out for nothing.

The Lord will use war to punish Israel. He will make them leave their land. With a strong blast of his anger he will drive them out. It will be as if the east wind were blowing.

So I will send for all the nations in the north. And I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon,’ announces the Lord.‘ I will bring all of them against this land and against you who live here. They will march out against all the nations that are around this land. I will set apart Judah and the nations around it in a special way to be destroyed. People will be shocked because of them. And they will make fun of them. Those nations will be destroyed forever.

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel. He says,“ The number of people from Israel may be like the sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be saved.

“ People of Israel, listen to me,” announces the Lord.“ I am bringing against you a nation from far away. It is an old nation. And it will last for a long time. Its people speak a language you do not know. You can’t understand what they are saying.The bags they carry their arrows in are like an open grave. All their soldiers are mighty.They will eat up your crops and your food. They will strike down your sons and daughters. They will kill your sheep and cattle. They will destroy your vines and fig trees. You trust in your cities that have high walls around them. But the people in them will be killed by swords.

It has been planted, but will it grow? No. It will dry up completely when the east wind strikes it. It will dry up in the place where it grew.” ’ ”

If I could count them, they would be more than the grains of sand. If I were to fall asleep counting and then wake up, you would still be there with me.

But Nebuchadnezzar became angry. He pulled it up by its roots. He threw it to the ground. The east wind dried it up. Its fruit was stripped off. Its strong branches dried up. And fire destroyed them.

Joseph stored up huge amounts of grain. There was as much of it as sand by the sea. There was so much grain it couldn’t be measured. So Joseph stopped keeping records of it.

“ But the time will come when the people of Israel will be like the sand on the seashore. It can’t be measured or counted. Now it is said about them,‘ You are not my people.’ But at that time they will be called‘ children of the living God.’

I will increase the number of their widows. There will be more of them than the grains of sand on the seashore. At noon I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of the young men among my people. All at once I will bring down on them great suffering and terror.

The Midianites had set up their camp in the valley. So had the Amalekites and all the other tribes from the east. There were so many of them that they looked like huge numbers of locusts. Like the grains of sand on the seashore, their camels couldn’t be counted.

Even though they are doing well among the other tribes, trouble will come to them. I will send a hot and dry wind from the east. It will blow in from the desert. Their springs will not have any water. Their wells will dry up. All their treasures will be taken out of their storerooms.

Lions have come out of their dens. Those who destroy nations have begun to march out. They have left their place to destroy your land completely. Your towns will be broken to pieces. No one will live in them.

I am going to send the armies of Babylon to attack you. They are very mean. They move quickly. They sweep across the whole earth. They take over homes that do not belong to them.