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Surely you won’t be angry forever!
    Surely you can forget about it!’
So you talk,
    but you keep on doing all the evil you can.”

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will you always be angry?(A)
    Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
    but you do all the evil you can.”

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Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil!
    Officials and judges alike demand bribes.
The people with influence get what they want,
    and together they scheme to twist justice.

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Both hands are skilled in doing evil;(A)
    the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,(B)
    the powerful dictate what they desire—
    they all conspire together.

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Judgment against Wealthy Oppressors

What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night,
    thinking up evil plans.
You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out,
    simply because you have the power to do so.

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Human Plans and God’s Plans

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil(A) on their beds!(B)
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.

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“Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder.

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“‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood.(A)

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12 Therefore, go and give this message to Israel.[a] This is what the Lord says:

“O Israel, my faithless people,
    come home to me again,
for I am merciful.
    I will not be angry with you forever.

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Footnotes

  1. 3:12 Hebrew toward the north.

12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(A)

“‘Return,(B) faithless(C) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(D) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry(E) forever.

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16 For I will not fight against you forever;
    I will not always be angry.
If I were, all people would pass away—
    all the souls I have made.

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16 I will not accuse(A) them forever,
    nor will I always be angry,(B)
for then they would faint away because of me—
    the very people(C) I have created.

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Jerusalem’s Rebellion and Redemption

What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,
    the city of violence and crime!
No one can tell it anything;
    it refuses all correction.
It does not trust in the Lord
    or draw near to its God.
Its leaders are like roaring lions
    hunting for their victims.
Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time,
    who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.
Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.
    Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.
But the Lord is still there in the city,
    and he does no wrong.
Day by day he hands down justice,
    and he does not fail.
    But the wicked know no shame.

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Jerusalem

Woe to the city of oppressors,(A)
    rebellious(B) and defiled!(C)
She obeys(D) no one,
    she accepts no correction.(E)
She does not trust(F) in the Lord,
    she does not draw near(G) to her God.
Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;(H)
her rulers are evening wolves,(I)
    who leave nothing for the morning.(J)
Her prophets are unprincipled;
    they are treacherous people.(K)
Her priests profane the sanctuary
    and do violence to the law.(L)
The Lord within her is righteous;(M)
    he does no wrong.(N)
Morning by morning(O) he dispenses his justice,
    and every new day he does not fail,(P)
    yet the unrighteous know no shame.(Q)

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Don’t be so angry with us, Lord.
    Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
    and see that we are all your people.

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Do not be angry(A) beyond measure, Lord;
    do not remember our sins(B) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
    for we are all your people.(C)

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The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
    nor remain angry forever.

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The Lord is compassionate and gracious,(A)
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;(B)

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Will you be angry with us always?
    Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?

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Will you be angry with us forever?(A)
    Will you prolong your anger through all generations?

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Has the Lord rejected me forever?
    Will he never again be kind to me?
Is his unfailing love gone forever?
    Have his promises permanently failed?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude

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“Will the Lord reject forever?(A)
    Will he never show his favor(B) again?
Has his unfailing love(C) vanished forever?
    Has his promise(D) failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?(E)
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(F)

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