New King James Version | New Living Translation |
1Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying: | 1Listen to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt: |
2“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” | 2“From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins.” Witnesses against Guilty Israel |
3Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? | 3Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? |
4Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? | 4Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey? |
5Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? | 5Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that has no bait? Does a trap spring shut when there’s nothing to catch? |
6If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it? | 6When the ram’s horn blows a warning, shouldn’t the people be alarmed? Does disaster come to a city unless the LORD has planned it? |
7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. | 7Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets. |
8A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy? | 8The lion has roared— so who isn’t frightened? The Sovereign LORD has spoken— so who can refuse to proclaim his message? |
9“Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; See great tumults in her midst, And the oppressed within her. | 9Announce this to the leaders of Philistia and to the great ones of Egypt: “Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria, and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.” |
10For they do not know to do right,’ Says the LORD, ‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.’ ” | 10“My people have forgotten how to do right,” says the LORD. “Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence. |
11Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “An adversary shall be all around the land; He shall sap your strength from you, And your palaces shall be plundered.” | 11Therefore,” says the Sovereign LORD, “an enemy is coming! He will surround them and shatter their defenses. Then he will plunder all their fortresses.” |
12Thus says the LORD: “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria— In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch! | 12This is what the LORD says: “A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear. So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds, and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches. |
13Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,” Says the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, | 13“Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel, ” says the Lord, the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies. |
14“That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground. | 14“On the very day I punish Israel for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. |
15I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; The houses of ivory shall perish, And the great houses shall have an end,” Says the LORD. | 15And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy— their winter mansions and their summer houses, too— all their palaces filled with ivory,” says the LORD. |
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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