And so, all of them will be ashamed and disgraced. Don't forgive them!

The tall and towering cedars of Lebanon will be destroyed. So will the oak trees of Bashan,

every strong fortress,

all the seagoing ships, and every beautiful boat.

On that day everyone will throw to the moles and bats their idols of silver and gold they made to worship.

Stop trusting the power of humans. They are all going to die, so how can they help?

soldiers and heroes, judges and prophets, leaders and army officers,

You will each be cruel to friends and neighbors. Young people will insult their elders; no one will show respect to those who deserve it.

Some of you will grab hold of a relative and say, “You still have a coat. Be our leader and rule this pile of ruins.”

Jerusalem and Judah, you rebelled against your glorious Lord— your words and your actions, made you stumble and fall.

The look on your faces shows that you are sinful as Sodom, and you don't try to hide it. You are in for trouble, and you have brought it all on yourselves.

The Lord All-Powerful says, “You have crushed my people and rubbed in the dirt the faces of the poor.”

The Women of Jerusalem

The Lord says: The women of Jerusalem are proud and strut around, winking shamelessly. They wear anklets that jingle and call attention to the way they walk.

But I, the Lord, will cover their heads with sores, and I will uncover their private parts.

In place of perfume, there will be a stink; in place of belts, there will be ropes; in place of fancy hairdos, they will have bald heads. Instead of expensive clothes, they will wear sackcloth; instead of beauty, they will have ugly scars.

The city will mourn and sit in the dirt, emptied of its people.

When this happens, seven women will grab the same man, and each of them will say, “I'll buy my own food and clothes! Just marry me and take away my disgrace.”

The Lord Will Bless His People Who Survive

The time is coming when the Lord will make his land fruitful and glorious again, and the people of Israel who survive will take great pride in what the land produces.

Everyone who is left alive in Jerusalem will be called special,

after the Lord sends a fiery judgment to clean the city and its people of their violent deeds.

It will provide shade from the heat of the sun and a place of shelter and protection from storms and rain.

A Song about a Vineyard

The Lord said:

I will sing a song about my friend's vineyard that was on the side of a fertile hill.

My friend dug the ground, removed the stones, and planted the best vines. He built a watchtower and dug a pit in rocky ground for pressing the grapes. He hoped they would be sweet, but bitter grapes were all it produced.

What more could I have done for my vineyard? I hoped for sweet grapes, but bitter grapes were all that grew.

It will turn into a desert, neither pruned nor hoed; it will be covered with thorns and briars. I will command the clouds not to send rain.