Add parallel Print Page Options

Israel and Judah Will Be Judged

The Lord said:

Listen, you priests!
    Pay attention, Israel![a]
Listen, you members
    of the royal family.
Justice was your duty.
But[b] at Mizpah and Mount Tabor
    you trapped the people.
At the place of worship
you were a treacherous pit,[c]
    and I will punish you.

Israel, I know all about you,
and because of your unfaithfulness,
    I find you unacceptable.
Your evil deeds are the reason
you won't return to me,
    your Lord God.
And your constant craving for sex
    keeps you from knowing me.

Israel, your pride
    testifies to your guilt;
it makes you stumble,
    and Judah stumbles too.
You offer sheep and cattle
    as sacrifices to me,
but I have turned away
    and refuse to be found.
You have been unfaithful
    to me, your Lord;
you have had children
    by prostitutes.[d]
So at the New Moon Festival,
you and your crops
    will be destroyed.[e]

The Lord Warns Israel and Judah

Give a warning on the trumpet!
Let it be heard in Gibeah,
    Ramah, and sinful Bethel.[f]
Benjamin, watch out![g]
I, the Lord, will punish
    and wipe out Israel.
This is my solemn promise
    to every tribe of Israel.
10 Judah's leaders are like crooks
    who move boundary markers;
that's why I will flood them
    with my anger.

11 Israel was brutally crushed.
They got what they deserved
    for worshiping useless idols.[h]
12 Now I, the Lord,
will fill Israel with maggots
    and make Judah rot.
13 When Israel and Judah saw
    their sickness and wounds,
Israel asked help from Assyria
    and its mighty king.[i]

But the king cannot cure them
    or heal their wounds.
14 So I'll become a fierce lion
    attacking Israel and Judah.
I'll snatch and carry off
what I want,
    and no one can stop me.
15 Then I'll return to my temple
until they confess their guilt
    and worship me,
until they are desperate
    and beg for my help.

Footnotes

  1. 5.1 Israel: Probably meaning the tribal leaders of Israel.
  2. 5.1 Justice … duty. But: Or “You are doomed, because.”
  3. 5.2 At … pit: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  4. 5.7 prostitutes: See 4.14, and the note at 1.2.
  5. 5.7 So … destroyed: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 5.8 sinful Bethel: See the note at 4.15. Gibeah is 5 kilometers north of Jerusalem, Ramah is 8 kilometers north, and Bethel is 17.5 kilometers north. The attack comes from the south, and all the land of Benjamin (belonging to Israel) is in danger.
  7. 5.8 watch out: Or “lead the way.”
  8. 5.11 for … idols: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  9. 5.13 and … king: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.

Bible Gateway Recommends