1Woe to those at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, who are named chief of the nations. And the house of Israel came to them. 2Pass over to Calneh, and see; and from there go to Hamath the great. Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, or is their border greater than your border? 3You who put the evil day far away, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4Who lie upon beds of ivory, and those sprawling upon their couches, and eating lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp; and invent instruments of music for themselves, like David; 6Who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best of oils--but do not grieve for the affliction of Joseph! 7Therefore now they shall go into exile with the first of the exiles. And the feasting of those who recline themselves shall cease. 8The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself-- thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, "I despise the glory of Jacob, and hate his palaces; and I will shut up the city and all its fullness. 9And it shall be if ten men remain in one house, then they shall die. 10And a dead man's uncle shall take him up, and he who burns the bodies, to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him left in the recesses of the house, "Are any bodies still with you?" And he shall say, "No." Then he shall say, "Hold your tongue, for no one shall mention the name of the LORD." 11For, behold, the LORD commands, and He will strike the great house into pieces, and the little house into cracks. 12Shall horses run upon the rock? Will one plow there with oxen? For you have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock-- 13You who rejoice over nothing, who say, "Have we not taken horns to ourselves by our own strength?" 14"But behold, I will raise a nation up against you, O house of Israel," says the LORD, the God of hosts."And they shall afflict you from the entrance to Hamath to the river of the Arabah." A Faithful Version Copyright © 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 York Publishing Company Post Office Box 1038 Hollister, California 95024-1038 All rights reserved. All Scripture may be freely quoted except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means--electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or information storage and retrieval systems, or use of hermeneutical conclusions of copyright owner. Bible Hub |