Through the Bible – Day 355

₂Listen, all of you!

Earth and everything on it,

pay close attention.

The LORD God accuses you

from his holy temple.

₃And he will come down

to crush underfoot

every pagan altar.

₄Mountains will melt

beneath his feet

like wax beside a fire.

Valleys will vanish like water

rushing down a ravine.

₅This will happen because of

the terrible sins of Israel,

the descendants of Jacob.

Samaria has led Israel to sin,

and pagan altars at Jerusalem

have made Judah sin.

₆So the LORD will leave Samaria

in ruins—

merely an empty field

where vineyards are planted.

He will scatter its stones

and destroy its foundations.

₇Samaria's idols will be smashed,

and the wages

of temple prostitutes

will be destroyed by fire.

Silver and gold from those idols

will then be used by foreigners

as payment for prostitutes.

₈Because of this tragedy,

I go barefoot and naked.

My crying and weeping

sound like howling wolves

or ostriches.

₉The nation is fatally wounded.

Judah is doomed.

Jerusalem will fall.

₁₀Don't tell it in Gath!

Don't even cry.

Instead, roll in the dust

at Beth-Leaphrah.

₁₁Depart naked and ashamed,

you people of Shaphir.

The town of Bethezel mourns

because no one from Zaanan

went out to help.

₁₂Everyone in Maroth

hoped for the best,

but the LORD sent disaster

down on Jerusalem.

₁₃Get the war chariots ready,

you people of Lachish.

You led Jerusalem into sin,

just as Israel did.

₁₄Now you will have to give

a going-away gift

to Moresheth.

Israel's kings will discover

that they cannot trust

the town of Achzib.

₁₅People of Mareshah,

the LORD will send someone

to capture your town.

Then Israel's glorious king

will be forced to hide

in Adullam Cave.

₁₆Judah, shave your head

as bald as a vulture

and start mourning.

Your precious children

will be dragged off

to a foreign country.

₁Doomed! You're doomed!

At night you lie in bed,

making evil plans.

And when morning comes,

you do what you've planned

because you have the power.

₂You grab any field or house

that you want;

you cheat families

out of homes and land.

₃But here is what the LORD says:

“I am planning trouble for you.

Your necks will be caught

in a noose,

and you will be disgraced

in this time of disaster.”

₄When that happens,

this sorrowful song

will be sung about you:

“Ruined! Completely ruined!

The LORD has taken our land

and given it to traitors.”

₅And so you will never again

own property

among the LORD's people.

₆“Enough of your preaching!”

That's what you tell me.

“We won't be disgraced,

so stop preaching!”

₇Descendants of Jacob,

is it right for you to claim

that the LORD did what he did

because he was angry?

Doesn't he always bless

those who do right?

₈My people, you have even stolen

clothes right off the backs

of your unsuspecting soldiers

returning home from battle.

₉You take over lovely homes

that belong to the women

of my nation.

Then you cheat their children

out of the inheritance

that comes from the LORD.

₁₀Get out of here, you crooks!

You'll find no rest here.

You're not fit to belong

to the LORD's people,

and you will be destroyed.

₁₁The only prophet you want

is a liar who will say,

“Drink and get drunk!”

₁₂I, the LORD, promise

to bring together

the people of Israel

who have survived.

I will gather them,

just as a shepherd

brings sheep together,

and there will be many.

₁₃I will break down the gate

and lead them out—

then I will be their king.

₁Listen to me,

you rulers of Israel!

You know right from wrong,

₂but you prefer to do evil

instead of what is right.

You skin my people alive.

You strip off their flesh,

₃break their bones,

cook it all in a pot,

and gulp it down.

₄Some day you will beg the LORD

to help you,

but he will turn away

because of your sins.

₅You lying prophets promise

security for anyone

who gives you food,

but disaster for anyone

who refuses to feed you.

Here is what the LORD says

to you prophets:

₆“You will live in the dark,

far from the sight of the sun,

with no message from me.

₇You prophets and fortune-tellers

will all be disgraced,

with no message from me.”

₈But the LORD has filled me

with power and his Spirit.

I have been given the courage

to speak about justice

and to tell you people of Israel

that you have sinned.

₉So listen to my message,

you rulers of Israel!

You hate justice

and twist the truth.

₁₀You make cruelty and murder

a way of life in Jerusalem.

₁₁You leaders accept bribes

for dishonest decisions.

You priests and prophets

teach and preach,

but only for money.

Then you say,

“The LORD is on our side.

No harm will come to us.”

₁₂And so, because of you,

Jerusalem will be ploughed under

and left in ruins.

Thorns will cover the mountain

where the temple now stands.

“Our God has shown

his saving power,

and his kingdom has come!

God's own Chosen One

has shown his authority.

Satan accused our people

in the presence of God

day and night.

Now he has been thrown out!

₁₁Our people defeated Satan

because of the blood

of the Lamb

and the message of God.

They were willing

to give up their lives.

₁₂The heavens should rejoice,

together with everyone

who lives there.

But pity the earth

and the sea,

because the devil

was thrown down

to the earth.

He knows his time is short,

and he is very angry.”