1 How horrible it will be for those who are at ease in Zion, for those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, and for the heads of the leading nations, to whom the nation of Israel comes. 2 Go to Calneh and look. Go from there to the great city of Hamath. Then go to Gath, the city of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours? 3 How horrible it will be for those who think that a day of disaster is far away. They bring the reign of violence closer. 4 How horrible it will be for those who sleep on ivory beds. They sprawl out on their couches and eat lambs from their flocks and calves from their stalls. 5 How horrible it will be for those who make up songs as they strum a harp. Like David, they write all kinds of songs for themselves. 6 How horrible it will be for those who drink wine by the jugful. They rub the finest oils all over themselves and are not sorry for the ruin of the descendants of Joseph. 7 That is why they will now be the first to go into exile. The celebrating of those sprawled around the banquet table will stop. 8 The Almighty LORD has sworn an oath on himself. The LORD God of Armies declares: I am disgusted with Jacob's pride, and I hate his palaces. So I will hand over the city and everything in it. 9 If ten people are left in one house, they will die. 10 If a relative or a mortician comes to take the dead bodies out of the house and asks someone who is inside the house, "Is there anyone else with you?" that person will answer, "No." "Hush," he will add. "We shouldn't mention the name of the LORD!" 11 The LORD is going to give the command to level big houses and flatten little houses. 12 Do horses run on rocks? Does a farmer plow the sea with oxen? Yet, you have turned justice into something deadly and what is righteous into poison. 13 How horrible it will be for those who rejoice over Lo Debar and who say, "We were strong enough to capture Karnaim by ourselves." 14 I am going to lead a nation to attack you, nation of Israel, declares the LORD God of the Armies of the Nations. They will oppress you from the border of Hamath to the valley of Arabah. GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. | |