The Wilderness Years

For a fire is kindled in mine anger, And burneth unto the lowest Sheol, And devoureth the earth with its increase, And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains.

I will heap evils upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them:

They shall bewasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat And bitter destruction; And the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, With the poison of crawling things of the dust.

Without shall the sword bereave, And in the chambers terror; It shall destroyboth young man and virgin, The suckling with the man of gray hairs.

I said, I would scatter them afar, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men;

Were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, Lest their adversaries should judge amiss, Lest they should say, Our hand is exalted, And Jehovah hath not done all this.

For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them.

Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!

How should one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Except their Rock had sold them, And Jehovah had delivered them up?

For their rock is not as our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges.

For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, And of the fields of Gomorrah: Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter:

Their wine is the poison of serpents, And the cruel venom of asps.

Is not this laid up in store with me, Sealed up among my treasures?

Vengeance is mine, and recompense, At the time when their foot shall slide: For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that are to come upon them shall make haste.

For Jehovah will judge his people, And repent himself for his servants; When he seeth that their power is gone, And there is noneremaining, shut up or left at large.

And he will say, Where are their gods, The rock in which they took refuge;

Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, Anddrank the wine of their drink-offering? Let them rise up and help you, Let them be your protection.

See now that I, even I, am he, And there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; And there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

For I lift up my hand to heaven, And say, As I live for ever,

If I whet my glittering sword, And my hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine adversaries, And will recompense them that hate me.

I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, And my sword shall devour flesh; With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the head of the leaders of the enemy.

Rejoice, O ye nations, withhis people: For he will avenge the blood of his servants, And will render vengeance to his adversaries, And will make expiation for his land, for his people.

And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.

And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel;

and he said unto them, Set your heart unto all the words which I testify unto you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, even all the words of this law.