Hear,(A) you peoples, all of you,(B)
    listen, earth(C) and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness(D) against you,
    the Lord from his holy temple.(E)

Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem

Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling(F) place;
    he comes down(G) and treads on the heights of the earth.(H)
The mountains melt(I) beneath him(J)
    and the valleys split apart,(K)
like wax before the fire,
    like water rushing down a slope.
All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
    because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
    Is it not Samaria?(L)
What is Judah’s high place?
    Is it not Jerusalem?

“Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
    a place for planting vineyards.(M)
I will pour her stones(N) into the valley
    and lay bare her foundations.(O)
All her idols(P) will be broken to pieces;(Q)
    all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
    I will destroy all her images.(R)
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,(S)
    as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”

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Grief over Samaria and Jerusalem

Attention! Let all the people of the world listen!
    Let the earth and everything in it hear.
The Sovereign Lord is making accusations against you;
    the Lord speaks from his holy Temple.
Look! The Lord is coming!
    He leaves his throne in heaven
    and tramples the heights of the earth.
The mountains melt beneath his feet
    and flow into the valleys
like wax in a fire,
    like water pouring down a hill.
And why is this happening?
    Because of the rebellion of Israel[a]
    yes, the sins of the whole nation.
Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion?
    Samaria, its capital city!
Where is the center of idolatry in Judah?
    In Jerusalem, its capital!

“So I, the Lord, will make the city of Samaria
    a heap of ruins.
Her streets will be plowed up
    for planting vineyards.
I will roll the stones of her walls into the valley below,
    exposing her foundations.
All her carved images will be smashed.
    All her sacred treasures will be burned.
These things were bought with the money
    earned by her prostitution,
and they will now be carried away
    to pay prostitutes elsewhere.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1:5 Hebrew Jacob; also in 1:5b. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.