Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

2 And he said:

g“The Lord roars from Zion

and utters his voice from Jerusalem;

hthe pastures of the shepherds mourn,

and the itop of jCarmel withers.”

3 Thus says the Lord:

k“For three transgressions of lDamascus,

and for four, lI will not revoke the punishment,3

because they have threshed mGilead

with threshing sledges of iron.

4  nSo I will send a fire upon the house of oHazael,

and it shall devour the strongholds of oBen-hadad.

5  I will pbreak the gate-bar of lDamascus,

and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of qAven,4

and him who holds the scepter from rBeth-eden;

and the people of sSyria shall go into exile to tKir,”

says the Lord.

6 Thus says the Lord:

k“For three transgressions of uGaza,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because vthey carried into exile a whole people

to deliver them up to Edom.

7  So I will send a fire upon the wall of uGaza,

and it shall devour her strongholds.

8  I will cut off the inhabitants from wAshdod,

and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;

I will turn my hand against Ekron,

and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”

says the Lord God.

9 Thus says the Lord:

k“For three transgressions of xTyre,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,

and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.

10  So I will send a fire upon the wall of xTyre,

and it shall devour her strongholds.”

11 Thus says the Lord:

k“For three transgressions of yEdom,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

ybecause he pursued his brother with the sword

zand cast off all pity,

aand his anger tore perpetually,

aand he kept his wrath forever.

12  So I will send a fire upon bTeman,

and it shall devour the strongholds of cBozrah.”

13 Thus says the Lord:

k“For three transgressions of the dAmmonites,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because ethey have ripped open pregnant women in fGilead,

that they might enlarge their border.

14  So I will kindle a fire in the wall of gRabbah,

hand it shall devour her strongholds,

with shouting on the day of battle,

hwith a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;

15  and itheir king shall go into exile,

he and his princes5 together,”

says the Lord.

2 Thus says the Lord:

k“For three transgressions of jMoab,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,1

because khe burned to lime

the bones of the king of Edom.

2  So I will send a fire upon Moab,

and it shall devour the strongholds of lKerioth,

and Moab shall die amid uproar,

amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;

3  mI will cut off the ruler from its midst,

and will kill mall its princes2 with him,”

says the Lord.

Judgment on Judah

4 Thus says the Lord:

n“For three transgressions of Judah,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because othey have rejected the law of the Lord,

and have not kept his statutes,

but ptheir lies have led them astray,

those after which their fathers walked.

5  So qI will send a fire upon Judah,

and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel

6 Thus says the Lord:

n“For three transgressions of Israel,

and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,

because rthey sell the righteous for ssilver,

and the needy for a pair of sandals—

7  those who trample the head of the poor tinto the dust of the earth

and uturn aside the way of the afflicted;

va man and his father go in to the same girl,

so that my holy name is profaned;

8  they lay themselves down beside every altar

on garments wtaken in pledge,

and in the house of their God they drink

the wine of those who have been fined.

9  “Yet xit was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,

ywhose height was like the height of the cedars

and who was as strong as the oaks;

zI destroyed his fruit above

and his roots beneath.

10  aAlso it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt

band led you forty years in the wilderness,

xto possess the land of the Amorite.

11  And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,

and some of your young men for cNazirites.

Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”

declares the Lord.

12  “But you made the Nazirites ddrink wine,

and commanded the prophets,

saying, e‘You shall not prophesy.’

13  “Behold, I will press you down in your place,

as a cart full of sheaves presses down.

14  fFlight shall perish from the swift,

fand the strong shall not retain his strength,

gnor shall the mighty save his life;

15  he who handles the bow shall not stand,

and he who is hswift of foot shall not save himself,

inor shall he who rides the horse save his life;

16  and he who is stout of heart among the mighty

shall flee away naked in that day,”

declares the Lord.