WOE TO THE COMPLACENT

6 Woe to those who are at ease in Zionad

and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria—

the notable people in this first of the nations,

those the house of Israel comes to.

2 Cross over to Calnehae and see;

go from there to great Hamath;af

then go down to Gathag of the Philistines.

Are you better than these kingdoms?

Is their territory larger than yours?

3 You dismiss any thought of the evil dayah

and bring in a reign of violence.ai

4 They lie on beds inlaid with ivory,aj

sprawled out on their couches,ak

and dine on lambs from the flockal

and calves from the stall.

5 They improvise songsF to the sound of the harpam

and inventG their own musical instruments like David.an

6 They drink wine by the bowlfulao

and anoint themselves with the finest oils

but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.ap

7 Therefore, they will now go into exile

as the first of the captives,aq

and the feastinga of those who sprawl out

will come to an end.

ISRAEL’S PRIDE JUDGED

8 The Lord God has sworn by himselfb—this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Armies:

I loathe Jacob’s pridec

and hate his citadels,d

so I will hand over the citye and everything in it.

9 And if there are ten men left in one house, they will die.f 10 A close relativeA and burnerB,g will remove his corpseC from the house. He will call to someone in the inner recesses of the house, “Any more with you?”

That person will reply, “None.”

Then he will say, “Silence, because the Lord’s name must not be invoked.”h

11 For the Lord commands:

The large house will be smashed to pieces,

and the small house to rubble.i

12 Do horses gallop on the cliffs?

Does anyone plow there with oxen?D

Yet you have turned justice into poisonj

and the fruit of righteousness into wormwoodk—

13 you who rejoice over Lo-debarl

and say, “Didn’t we capture Karnaim

for ourselves by our own strength?”m

14 But look, I am raising up a nation

against you, house of Israeln—

this is the declaration of the Lord,

the God of Armies—

and they will oppress you

from the entrance of HamathE,o

to the Brook of the Arabah.F