6 Therefore ^aa lion from the forest shall slay them,
^bA wolf of the deserts shall destroy them;
^cA leopard will watch over their cities.
Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many;
Their backslidings have increased. ‡

7 “How shall I pardon you for this?
Your children have forsaken Me
And ^asworn by those ^bthat are not gods.
^cWhen I had fed them to the full,
Then they committed adultery
And assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses. ‡

9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.
“And shall I not ^aavenge Myself on such a nation as this? ‡

10 “Go up on her walls and destroy,
But do not¹ make a ^acomplete end.
Take away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s. ‡