Add parallel Print Page Options

Woe to those who devise iniquity
    and work evil on their beds!
When the morning is light, they practice it,
    because it is in the power of their hand.
They covet fields, and seize them;
    and houses, and take them away:
    and they oppress a man and his house,
    even a man and his heritage.
Therefore Yahweh says:
“Behold, I am planning against these people a disaster,
    from which you will not remove your necks,
    neither will you walk haughtily;
    for it is an evil time.
In that day they will take up a parable against you,
    and lament with a doleful lamentation, saying,
    ‘We are utterly ruined!
    My people’s possession is divided up.
    Indeed he takes it from me and assigns our fields to traitors!’”
Therefore you will have no one who divides the land by lot in Yahweh’s assembly.
“Don’t prophesy!”
    They prophesy.
“Don’t prophesy about these things.
    Disgrace won’t overtake us.”
Shall it be said, O house of Jacob:
    “Is Yahweh’s Spirit angry?
    Are these his doings?
    Don’t my words do good to him who walks blamelessly?”
But lately my people have risen up as an enemy.
    You strip the robe and clothing from those who pass by without a care, returning from battle.
You drive the women of my people out from their pleasant houses;
    from their young children you take away my blessing forever.
10 Arise, and depart!
    For this is not your resting place,
    because of uncleanness that destroys,
    even with a grievous destruction.
11 If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies:
    “I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink;”
    he would be the prophet of this people.
12 I will surely assemble, Jacob, all of you;
    I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah,
    as a flock in the middle of their pasture;
    they will swarm with people.
13 He who breaks open the way goes up before them.
    They break through the gate, and go out.
    And their king passes on before them,
    with Yahweh at their head.

Woe to the Wicked

Woe to those who conceive wickedness,
    to those who devise evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they execute it,
    because it is in the power of their hand.
They covet fields and seize them,
    and houses and take them.
They defraud a man of his house,
    and a fellow man of his inheritance.

Therefore, thus says the Lord:

I am devising disaster against this family,
    from which you cannot remove your necks;
and you will not walk haughtily,
    for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day they will take up a taunt against you,
    and they will wail a wailing lament, and say:
“We are totally ruined!
    He diminishes the portion of my people;
how He removes it from me!
    To a traitor He reassigns our fields!”

Therefore you will not have anyone to apportion the land by lot
    in the assembly of the Lord.

Prophets of Deceit

“Do not prophesy,” they say.
    “One should not prophesy about these things.
    Disgrace will not overtake us.”
Should it be said, O house of Jacob,
    “Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient?
    Are these His deeds?”

Do not My words benefit
    him who walks uprightly?
But lately My people rise up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by trustingly,
    like men returning from war.
The women of My people you drive out
    from their delightful homes;
from their children
    you take My adornment forever.
10 Get up and go,
    for this is not the resting place,
because uncleanness ruins,
    and ruin sickens.
11 If a man, going about vapidly and deceitfully, lies,
    “I will preach for you wine and beer,”
    he would be just the preacher for this people.

The Restoration of Israel

12 I will indeed assemble Jacob—all of you;
    I will indeed gather the remnant of Israel.
I will place them together like sheep in a fold,
    like a herd in its pasture—
    thronging with people.
13 He who breaks through has gone up before them;
    they will break through and pass the gate and go out by it.
Then their king will pass on before them,
    the Lord at their head.