“Look! An army is coming
    from the land of the north.
I am stirring up a great nation.
    Its army is coming from a land that is very far away.
²³ Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
    They are mean. They do not show any mercy at all.
They come riding in on their horses.
    They sound like the roaring ocean.
They are lined up for battle.
    They are marching out
    to attack you, city of Zion.”

²⁴ We have heard reports about them.
    And our hands can’t help us.
We are suffering greatly.
    It’s like the pain of a woman having a baby.