2 Esdras 16:1-10

1 Woe to you, Babylon and Asia! Woe to you, Egypt and Syria!
2 Gird yourselves with sackcloth and haircloth, and wail for your children, and lament for them; for your destruction is at hand.
3 The sword has been sent upon you, and who is there to turn it back?
4 A fire has been sent upon you, and who is there to quench it?
5 Calamities have been sent upon you, and who is there to drive them away?
6 Can one drive off a hungry lion in the forest, or quench a fire in the stubble, when once it has begun to burn?
7 Can one turn back an arrow shot by a strong archer?
8 The Lord God sends calamities, and who will drive them away?
9 Fire will go forth from his wrath, and who is there to quench it?
10 He will flash lightning, and who will not be afraid? He will thunder, and who will not be terrified?
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.