26 I would have said, “aI will cut them to pieces;
bI will cause the memory of them to cease from men,”
27 Had I not feared the provocation by the enemy,
Lest their adversaries misjudge,
Lest they say, “aOur hand is triumphant,
And Yahweh has not done all this.”’
28 “aFor they are a nation where counsel perishes,
And there is no discernment in them.