In the Land of Shadows, cries can be heard.
Before there was gladness, now there is unbelief & terror.

The voice of the wise man has ceased,
for the Lord of HOSTS has spoken.
Across the land it can be heard.
A voice that was not heard before,
a voice the people gave no heed,
for the wrath of the Lord has descended
and we have heard it.

We are a people gone astray,
like Israel of old,
we are people undone,
for the Lord has recompensed us for our pride.

Where are your wise men?
Where are your noble ones?
Who has the power to quench my fury saith the Lord?
Run to your places and hide.
Bury yourselves in your castles.

Yea, I will crush you under the weight of your idols!
For the Lord has removed himself,
he has descended in anger for the pride,
yea for the pride of his people and the arrogance of the nations.

The shadow has passed, yea it has gone,
swiftly from north to south, from coast to coast,
from cities to the farms, yea it is consumed.
My day groaneth the people,
where is my day of peace?
Gone saith the Lord.
My day groaneth the people,
where is my day of prosperity?

Gone saith the Lord.
My day groaneth the people,
how shall it end?
Thy day is ended saith the Lord,
for the day is mine, it is filled,
yea the Lord doth speak and
the day is filled with my righteous fury.
For thy arrogance,
thy pride,
thy iniquity,
thy idols,
thy madness and pleasure-seeking ways.

It is full saith the Lord,
it is full.
How long shall it last?
Till it be consumed, and my anger is ended saith the Lord.

The word is passing through the nations.
Have you heard?
Have you seen the smoke?
Behold it is gone!
How shall it continue?
Where is the wisdom?
Who will tell me?

How could I have avoided this?
Did you not know?
Did no one tell you this could be?
Away with thee,
count the dross and cast it away.
Wipe the slate.
Mount that which you have,
Flee, run, and see if you can escape.
For it is filth in the land of shadows.

Under every rock,
in every house,
in all the temples of thy idols,
in every street,
the land is filled with evil.
Thy ways are wicked and you love it so!
You hide in the shadows of your lands.
You have hidden your sins well,
But I will cast light in the shadows.
I will reveal the hidden things.
I will burn the wicked thing.
I will remove it.

For I am the Lord and my anger will not cease,
yea, till it is quenched in my righteousness.
For the filth will be removed of it,
The cities will burn,
The people will be destroyed,
for the end has come,
In the Land of Shadows.

Epitaph:
The smoke rises, the vulture circles,
the birds flee, and the neighborhood is silent,
In the Land of Shadows, a great and terrible day has come,
We were not ready, no one told us of this day.
For we were the elite of the earth, the most powerful of our day,
We live in the Land of Shadows, a place where the dust has not settled,
Nor the peace returned, for evil has come, In the Land of Shadows.

A Psalm by Dana G Smith