Hear, you peoples, all of you, listen, earth and all who live in it, that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

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? What is Judah’s high place? Is it not Jerusalem?

All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”

Tell it not in Gath; weep not at all. In Beth Ophrah roll in the dust.

In that day people will ridicule you; they will taunt you with this mournful song: ‘We are utterly ruined; my people’s possession is divided up. He takes it from me! He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

Get up, go away! For this is not your resting place, because it is defiled, it is ruined, beyond all remedy.

Deliverance Promised

“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people.

The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God.”

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel, who despise justice and distort all that is right;

All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

“Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will give you horns of iron; I will give you hooves of bronze, and you will break to pieces many nations.” You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed.

I will destroy the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds.

I will take vengeance in anger and wrath on the nations that have not obeyed me.”

You have observed the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their traditions. Therefore I will give you over to ruin and your people to derision; you will bear the scorn of the nations.”

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

Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears will become deaf.

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.