The Lord destroyed without mercy every village in Judah And tore down the forts that defended the land. He brought disgrace on the kingdom and its rulers.

The LORD was determined that the walls of Zion should fall; He measured them off to make sure of total destruction. The towers and walls now lie in ruins together.

The gates lie buried in rubble, their bars smashed to pieces. The king and the noblemen now are in exile. The Law is no longer taught, and the prophets have no visions from the LORD.

My heart is grieved when I see what has happened to the women of the city.

At that time two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, began to speak in the name of the God of Israel to the Jews who lived in Judah and Jerusalem.

When Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak heard their messages, they began to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and the two prophets helped them.

Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the clan of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have broken faith with God by marrying foreign women, but even so there is still hope for Israel.

It is your responsibility to act. We are behind you, so go ahead and get it done."

Give strength to hands that are tired and to knees that tremble with weakness.

Tell everyone who is discouraged, "Be strong and don't be afraid! God is coming to your rescue, coming to punish your enemies."

They told me that those who had survived and were back in the homeland were in great difficulty and that the foreigners who lived nearby looked down on them. They also told me that the walls of Jerusalem were still broken down and that the gates had not been restored since the time they were burned.

Nahash answered, "I will make a treaty with you on one condition: I will put out everyone's right eye and so bring disgrace on all Israel."

Our neighbors see what you did to us, and they mock us and laugh at us.

The surrounding nations insult us; they laugh at us and mock us.

Lord, pay the other nations back seven times for all the insults they have hurled at you.

Don't forget how I, your servant, am insulted, how I endure all the curses of the heathen.

Your enemies insult your chosen king, O LORD! They insult him wherever he goes.

I will bring such a disaster on them that all the nations of the world will be terrified. People will make fun of them, make jokes about them, ridicule them, and use their name as a curse everywhere I scatter them.

You have made us the garbage dump of the world.

"We are insulted and mocked by all our enemies.

Everyone from the nations around you who passes by will sneer at you and keep their distance.

You are guilty of those murders and are defiled by the idols you made, and so your day is coming, your time is up! That is why I have let the nations make fun of you and all the countries sneer at you.

Countries nearby and countries far away sneer at you because of your lawlessness.