Social and Spiritual Corruption

4 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan e

who are on the hill of Samaria,

women who oppress the poor

and crush the needy, f

who say to their husbands,

“Bring us something to drink.” g

2 The Lord God has sworn h by His holiness: i

Look, the days are coming j

when you will be taken away with hooks, k

every last one of you with fishhooks. l

3 You will go through breaches in the wall, m

each woman straight ahead,

and you will be driven along toward Harmon.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

4 Come to Bethel and rebel;

rebel even more at Gilgal! n

Bring your sacrifices every morning, o

your tenths every three days.

5 Offer leavened bread as a thank offering, p

and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings, q

for that is what you Israelites love to do! r

This is the Lord’s declaration.

God’s Discipline and Israel’s Apostasy

6 I gave you absolutely nothing to eat s t

in all your cities,

a shortage of food in all your communities,

yet you did not return to Me. u

This is the Lord’s declaration.

7 I also withheld the rain from you v

while there were still three months until harvest.

I sent rain on one city

but no rain on another. w

One field received rain

while a field with no rain withered. x

8 Two or three cities staggered

to another city to drink water y

but were not satisfied, z

yet you did not return a to Me.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

9 I struck you with blight and mildew; b

the locust devoured c

your many gardens and vineyards,

your fig trees and olive trees, d

yet you did not return to Me. e

This is the Lord’s declaration.

10 I sent plagues like those of Egypt; f

I killed your young men with the sword, g

along with your captured horses. h

I caused the stench of your camp

to fill your nostrils, i

yet you did not return to Me. j

This is the Lord’s declaration.

11 I overthrew some of you

as I k overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, l

and you were like a burning stick

snatched from a fire, m

yet you did not return to Me n—

this is the Lord’s declaration.

12 Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you,

and since I will do that to you,

Israel, prepare to meet your God! o

13 He is here:

the One who forms the mountains, p

creates the wind, q

and reveals His r thoughts to man, s

the One who makes the dawn out of darkness

and strides on the heights of the earth. t

* Yahweh, the God of * Hosts, is His name. u