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Social Evils Denounced

Woe to those who devise wickedness
    and evil deeds[a] on their beds!
When the morning dawns, they perform it,
    because it is in their power.(A)
They covet fields and seize them,
    houses and take them away;
they oppress householder and house,
    people and their inheritance.(B)
Therefore thus says the Lord:
Now, I am devising against this family an evil
    from which you cannot remove your necks,
and you shall not walk arrogantly,
    for it will be an evil time.(C)
On that day they shall take up a taunt song against you
    and wail with bitter lamentation
and say, “We are utterly ruined;
    the Lord[b] alters the inheritance of my people;
how he removes it from me!
    Among our captors[c] he parcels out our fields.”(D)
Therefore you will have no one in the Lord’s assembly
    to allot you a piece of land.(E)

“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
    “one should not preach of such things;
    disgrace will not overtake us.”(F)
Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
    Is the Lord’s patience exhausted?
    Are these his doings?
Do not my words do good
    to one who walks uprightly?
But you rise up against my people[d] as an enemy;
    you strip the robe from the peaceful,[e]
from those who pass by trustingly
    with no thought of war.
The women of my people you drive out
    from their pleasant houses;
from their young children you take away
    my glory forever.
10 Arise and go,
    for this is no place to rest,
because of uncleanness that destroys
    with a violent destruction.(G)
11 If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods,
    saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
    such a one would be the preacher for this people!(H)

A Promise for the Remnant of Israel

12 I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;
    I will gather the survivors of Israel;
I will set them together
    like sheep in a fold,
like a flock in its pasture;
    it will resound with people.(I)
13 The one who breaks out will go up before them;
    they will break through and pass the gate,
    going out by it.
Their king will pass on before them,
    the Lord at their head.(J)

Footnotes

  1. 2.1 Cn: Heb work evil
  2. 2.4 Heb he
  3. 2.4 Cn: Heb the rebellious
  4. 2.8 Cn: Heb But yesterday my people rose
  5. 2.8 Cn: Heb from before a garment