The Lord’s appointed time is coming, when spoil of thee shall be divided in thy midst.

All the nations of the world I will muster to the siege of Jerusalem; taken the city shall be, and its houses pillaged, and its women-folk ravished; of the defenders, half will go into exile, and leave but a remnant in the city.

And then the Lord will go out to battle against those nations, as he did ever in the decisive hour.

There on the mount of Olives, that faces Jerusalem on the east, his feet shall be set; to east and west the mount of Olives shall be cloven in two halves, with a great chasm between, and the two halves shall move apart, one northward, one southward.

Down the clefts of that sacred hill-side you shall flee, each of them now leading to the next; flee as you fled before the earthquake, in Ozias’ time, that reigned over Juda; on, on he comes, the Lord my God, with all his sacred retinue.

Light there shall be none that day, all shall be frost and cold;✻

one day there shall be, none but the Lord knows the length of it, that shall be neither daylight nor dark, but when evening comes, there shall be light.

Then a living stream will flow from Jerusalem, half to the eastern, half to the western sea, winter and summer both;

and over all the earth the Lord shall be king, one Lord, called everywhere by one name.

What shall be the land’s frontiers? The desert, and Geba, and Remmon✻ that is south of Jerusalem. What of the city? It shall be built up high, and its true limits keep, from gate of Benjamin to main gate and corner gate, from tower of Hananeel to the king’s wine-press.

A populous city, no ban resting on it thenceforward; a secure dwelling-place.

And what of the visitation that shall smite down the assailants of Jerusalem? Wasted away the flesh of them, till they can keep their feet no longer; wasted away eye in socket and tongue in mouth;

with great tumult of mind the Lord will bemuse them that day, each of them laying hands on his fellow, brother engaging brother in fight.

Juda meanwhile, shall set about the regaining of Jerusalem,✻ and find the spoils of every neighbouring people amassed there, gold, and silver, and of raiment great abundance;

but as for horse and mule, camel and ass, and all the cattle in yonder camp, these will have perished by the same plague as their masters.

Yet of all the nations that sent their armies against Jerusalem there shall be some remnant left; and these, year by year, shall make pilgrimage, to worship their King, the Lord of hosts, and keep his feast of Tent-dwelling.

Come and worship their King they must, the Lord of hosts; else no rain shall fall on them, all the world over.

What then of Egypt’s folk, that rain have none? What if they refuse to go on pilgrimage? Why, for their neglecting of this feast, the same plague shall fall on them which the Lord sent on the heathen armies aforesaid.✻

Be it Egypt, or be it any other nation, that will not keep the feast of Tent-dwelling, punished it shall be in this fashion or in that.

Spoils from the enemy’s bridle-rein shall be consecrated on that day to the Lord’s service, till there is never pot or pan in his temple but rivals the altar’s bowls for costliness!✻

Nay, never pot or pan in all Jerusalem but shall be consecrated to the Lord of hosts, for any who will to come and take it and seethe victim in it; trafficking there shall be no more in the Lord’s temple, when that day comes.✻