^2:30Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say⁴⁸ that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve⁴⁹ me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be!⁵⁰ For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed! ^2:31In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength⁵¹ and the strength⁵² of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house! ^2:32You will see trouble in my dwelling place!⁵³ Israel will experience blessings,⁵⁴ but there will not be an old man in your⁵⁵ house for all time.⁵⁶^2:33Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your⁵⁷ eyes to fail⁵⁸ and will cause you grief.⁵⁹ All of those born to your family⁶⁰ will die in the prime of life.⁶¹

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Footnotes

48 The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
49 Heb “walk about before.”
50 Heb “may it be far removed from me.”
51 Heb “chop off your arm.” The arm here symbolizes strength and activity.
52 Heb “arm.”
53 Heb “you will see [the] trouble of [the] dwelling place.” Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun is supplied in the translation (see v. 29).
54 Heb “in all which he does good with Israel.”
55 The and a Qumran manuscript have the first person pronoun “my” here.
56 Heb “all the days.”
57 The , a Qumran , and a few old Latin have the third person pronominal suffix “his” here.
58 Heb “to cause your eyes to fail.” Elsewhere this verb, when used of eyes, refers to bloodshot eyes resulting from weeping, prolonged staring, or illness (see Lev 26:16; Pss 69:3; 119:82; Lam 2:11; 4:17).
59 Heb “and to cause your soul grief.”
60 Heb “and all the increase of your house.”
61 The text is difficult. The literally says “they will die [as] men.” Apparently the meaning is that they will be cut off in the prime of their life without reaching old age. The and a Qumran , however, have the additional word “sword” (“they will die by the sword of men”). This is an easier reading (cf. , , , , ), but that fact is not in favor of its originality.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“Therefore, this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I did say that your family and your forefather’s family would walk before me forever. But now,’ this is the Lord’s declaration, ‘no longer! For those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disgraced. Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your forefather’s family, so that none in your family will reach old age. You will see distress in the place of worship, in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age. Any man from your family I do not cut off from my altar will bring grief and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently.

NLTNew Living Translation

“Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age. You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Therefore,’ declares Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘though I solemnly said that your house and the house of your ancestor would walk before me forever, but now,’ declares Yahweh, ‘far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me, I will treat with contempt! Look, days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of the house of your ancestor so that no one in your house will live to old age. You will look at the distress of my dwelling place, despite all the good caused for Israel, but there will never be an old man in your household forever! The only one I will not cut off from my altar is you. Rather, to cause your eyes to fail and to cause your soul to grieve, all the members of your household will die as men.

KJV 1900King James Version

Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.

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