Through the Bible – Day 347

₁Sound a warning!

Israel, you broke our agreement

and ignored my teaching.

Now an eagle is swooping down

to attack my land.

₂Israel, you say, “We claim you,

the LORD, as our God.”

₃But your enemies

will chase you for rejecting

our good agreement.

₄You chose kings and leaders

without consulting me;

you made silver and gold idols

that led to your downfall.

₅City of Samaria, I'm angry

because of your idol

in the shape of a calf.

When will you ever

be innocent again?

₆Someone from Israel built

that idol for you,

but only I am God.

And so it will be smashed

to pieces.

₇If you scatter wind

instead of wheat,

you will harvest a whirlwind

and have no wheat.

Even if you harvest grain,

enemies will steal it all.

₈Israel, you are ruined,

and now the nations

consider you worthless.

₉You are like a wild donkey

that goes its own way.

You've run off to Assyria

and hired them as allies.

₁₀You can bargain with nations,

but I'll catch you anyway.

Soon you will suffer abuse

by kings and rulers.

₁₁Israel, you have built

many altars where you offer

sacrifices for sin.

But these altars have become

places for sin.

₁₂My instructions for sacrifices

were written in detail,

but you ignored them.

₁₃You sacrifice your best animals

and eat the sacrificial meals,

but I, the LORD,

refuse your offerings.

I will remember your sins

and punish you.

Then you will return to Egypt.

₁₄Israel, I created you,

but you forgot me.

You and Judah built palaces

and many strong cities.

Now I will send fire to destroy

your towns and fortresses.

₁Israel, don't celebrate

or make noisy shouts

like other nations.

You have been unfaithful

to your God.

Wherever grain is threshed,

you behave like prostitutes

because you enjoy

the money you receive.

₂But you will run short

of grain and wine,

₃and you will have to leave

the land of the LORD.

Some of you will go to Egypt;

others will go to Assyria

and eat unclean food.

₄You won't be able to offer

sacrifices of wine

to the LORD.

None of your sacrifices

will please him—

they will be unclean

like food offered to the dead.

Your food will only be used

to satisfy your hunger;

none of it will be brought

to the LORD's temple.

₅You will no longer be able

to celebrate the festival

of the LORD.

₆Even if you escape alive,

you will end up in Egypt

and be buried in Memphis.

Your silver treasures

will be lost among weeds;

thorns will sprout in your tents.

₇Israel, the time has come.

You will get what you deserve,

and you will know it.

“Prophets are fools,” you say.

“And God's messengers

are mad.”

Your terrible guilt

has filled you with hatred.

₈Israel, the LORD sent me

to look after you.

But you trap his prophets

and flood his temple

with your hatred.

₉You are brutal and corrupt,

as were the men of Gibeah.

But God remembers your sin,

and you will be punished.

₁₀Israel, when I, the LORD,

found you long ago

it was like finding

grapes in a barren desert

or tender young figs.

Then you worshipped Baal-Peor,

that disgusting idol,

and you became as disgusting

as the idol you loved.

₁₁And so, Israel, your glory

will fly away like birds—

your women will no longer

be able to give birth.

₁₂Even if you do have children,

I will take them all

and leave you to mourn.

I will turn away,

and you will sink down

in deep trouble.

₁₃Israel, when I first met you,

I thought of you as palm trees

growing in fertile ground.

Now you lead your people out,

only to be slaughtered.

₁₄Our LORD, do just one thing

for your people—

make their women unable

to have children

or to nurse their babies.

₁₅Israel, I first began

to hate you because

you did evil at Gilgal.

Now I will chase you

out of my house.

No longer will I love you;

your leaders betrayed me.

₁₆Israel, you are a vine

with dried up roots

and fruitless branches.

Even if you had more children

and loved them dearly,

I would slaughter them all.

₁₇Israel, you disobeyed my God.

Now he will force you to roam

from nation to nation.

₁You were a healthy vine

covered with grapes.

But the more grapes you grew,

the more altars you built;

the better off you became,

the better shrines you set up

for pagan gods.

₂You are deceitful and disloyal.

So you will pay

for your sins,

because the LORD will destroy

your altars and images.

₃“We don't have a king,”

you will say.

“We don't fear the LORD.

And what good are kings?”

₄Israel, you break treaties

and don't keep promises;

you turn justice

into poisonous weeds

where healthy plants should grow.

₅All who live in Samaria tremble

with concern for the idols

at sinful Bethel.

The idol there was the pride

of the priests,

but it has been put to shame;

now everyone will cry.

₆It will be taken to Assyria

and given to the great king.

Then Israel will be disgraced

for worshipping that idol.

₇Like a twig in a stream,

the king of Samaria

will be swept away.

₈The altars at sinful Bethel

will be destroyed

for causing Israel to sin;

they will be overgrown

with thorns and thistles.

Then everyone will beg

the mountains and hills

to cover and protect them.

₉Israel, you have never

stopped sinning

since that time at Gibeah.

That's why you

will be attacked at Gibeah.

₁₀Your sins have doubled,

and you are rebellious.

Now I have decided

to send nations to attack

and put you in chains.

₁₁Once you were obedient

like a calf

that loved to thresh grain.

But I will put a harness

on your powerful neck;

you and Judah must plough

and cultivate the ground.

₁₂Plough your fields,

scatter seeds of justice,

and harvest faithfulness.

Worship me, the LORD,

and I will send my saving power

down like rain.

₁₃You have planted evil,

harvested injustice, and eaten

the fruit of your lies.

You trusted your own strength

and your powerful forces.

₁₄So war will break out,

and your fortresses

will be destroyed.

Your enemies will do to you

what Shalman did to the people

of Beth-Arbel—

mothers and their children

will be beaten to death

against rocks.

₁₅Bethel, this will be your fate

because of your evil.

Israel, at dawn your king

will be killed.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,

the all-powerful God,

who was and is

and is coming!”

₁₁“Our Lord and God,

you are worthy

to receive glory,

honour, and power.

You created all things,

and by your decision they are

and were created.”