25 Outside the sword deals death, and inside terror — to both young men and young women, infants, with men of gray hair.

26 I would have said, ‘I will hack them to pieces, make the memory of them cease from mankind,’

27 except I dread the taunt of the enemy, lest their foes might misconstrue — lest they say, ‘Our hand is held high, and ADONAI has not done all this.’