This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish the people of Damascus for the many crimes they did. They crushed the people of Gilead with iron threshing tools.

Punishment for the Philistines

This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish the people of Gaza for the many crimes they did. They took an entire nation of people and sent them as slaves to Edom.

Punishment for Phoenicia

This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish the people of Tyre for the many crimes they did. They took an entire nation and sent them as slaves to Edom. They did not remember the agreement they had made with their brothers.

Punishment for the Edomites

This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish the people of Edom for their many crimes. Edom chased his brother with the sword, and he showed no mercy. His anger never stopped. He kept tearing and tearing at Israel like a wild animal.

Punishment for the Ammonites

This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish the Ammonites for the many crimes they did. They killed the pregnant women in Gilead. The Ammonites did this so that they could take that land and make their country larger.

Punishment for Moab

This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish the people of Moab for the many crimes they did. Moab burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.

Punishment for Judah

This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish Judah for the many crimes they did. They refused to obey the Lord’s teachings and they did not keep his commands. Their ancestors believed lies, and those same lies caused the people of Judah to stop following God.

Punishment for Israel

This is what the Lord says: “I will definitely punish Israel for the many crimes they have done. They sold honest people for a little silver. They sold the poor for the price of a pair of sandals.

The Lord says, “A lion might attack a lamb, and a shepherd might try to save the lamb. But the shepherd will save only a part of that lamb. He might pull two legs or a part of an ear from the lion’s mouth. In the same way, most of the people of Israel will not be saved. Those who live in Samaria will save only a corner from a bed, or a piece of cloth from a couch.”

Your city will be destroyed. The women will rush out through cracks in the wall and throw themselves onto the pile of dead bodies. This is what the Lord says:

“I destroyed you as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. And those cities were completely destroyed. You were like a burned stick pulled from a fire, but still you didn’t come back to me for help.” This is what the Lord says.

The Lord Encourages Israel to Come Back

The Lord says this to the nation of Israel: “Come looking for me and live.

So I will send you as captives, far beyond Damascus.” This is what the Lord says. His name is God All-Powerful.

But the Lord says, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city. Your sons and daughters will be killed with swords. Other people will take your land and divide it among themselves, and you will die in a foreign country. The people of Israel will definitely be taken from this country as prisoners.’”

The Lord Promises Destruction for Israel

This is what the Lord says: “Israel, you are like the Ethiopians to me. I brought Israel out of the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir.”

The Lord God is watching this sinful kingdom. The Lord says, “I will wipe Israel off the face of the earth, but I will never completely destroy Jacob’s family.

The Lord says, “A time of great blessing is coming. Workers will still be harvesting when it is time to plow the fields again. They will still be trampling the grapes when it is time for a new crop. Sweet wine will drip from the mountains and pour from the hills.