"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to carve a tomb for yourself out of the rocky hillside?

While they were there, they recognized the accent of the young Levite, so they went up to him and asked, "What are you doing here? Who brought you here?"

The Sovereign LORD says to his people, "When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free.

You sold your own people for a small price as though they had little value.

I was angry with my people; I treated them as no longer mine: I put them in your power, and you showed them no mercy; even the aged you treated harshly.

At the corner of every street your people collapse from weakness; they are like deer caught in a hunter's net. They have felt the force of God's anger.

I will give it to those who oppressed you, to those who made you lie down in the streets and trampled on you as if you were dirt."

and made their lives miserable by forcing them into cruel slavery. They made them work on their building projects and in their fields, and they had no pity on them.

Then the king of Egypt spoke to Shiphrah and Puah, the two midwives who helped the Hebrew women.

Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God,

who heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Then the LORD said, "I have seen how cruelly my people are being treated in Egypt; I have heard them cry out to be rescued from their slave drivers. I know all about their sufferings,

By the rivers of Babylon we sat down; there we wept when we remembered Zion.

On the willows near by we hung up our harps.

The LORD says, "The people of Israel are like sheep, chased and scattered by lions. First, they were attacked by the emperor of Assyria, and then King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia gnawed on their bones.

"Listen to my groans; there is no one to comfort me. My enemies are glad that you brought disaster on me. Bring the day you promised; make my enemies suffer as I do.

In his fury he shattered the strength of Israel; He refused to help us when the enemy came. He raged against us like fire, destroying everything.

Our young men are forced to grind grain like slaves; boys go staggering under heavy loads of wood.

Happiness has gone out of our lives; grief has taken the place of our dances.

"On that day," says the LORD, "you will hear the sound of crying at the Fish Gate in Jerusalem. You will hear wailing in the newer part of the city and a great crashing sound in the hills.

he sent back this answer: "The LORD tells you not to let the Assyrians frighten you by their claims that he cannot save you.

"But I know everything about you, what you do and where you go. I know how you rage against me.

from hearing the sneers and insults of my enemies and those who hate me.

How long, O God, will our enemies laugh at you? Will they insult your name forever?

But remember, O LORD, that your enemies laugh at you, that they are godless and despise you.

Rouse yourself, God, and defend your cause! Remember that godless people laugh at you all day long.

Don't forget the angry shouts of your enemies, the continuous noise made by your foes.

But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt.

But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt.

Wherever they went, they brought disgrace on my holy name, because people would say, 'These are the people of the LORD, but they had to leave his land.'

"Now then, give the Israelites the message that I, the Sovereign LORD, have for them: What I am going to do is not for the sake of you Israelites, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have disgraced in every country where you have gone.

The scripture says, "Because of you Jews, the Gentiles speak evil of God."