Therefore, because the people have spoken these lies,
YAHWEH, the God of Angel Armies, said to me:
“See! The words I put in your mouth will be as a fire.
My words will consume these people like kindling.
I, YAHWEH, say to the people of Israel:
‘I am stirring up a distant nation,
an ancient, warring nation to attack you.
Her people will speak a language you do not know,
a language you won’t understand.
The quivers of her mighty warriors
are like a welcoming tomb,
inviting death and destruction,
for all her warriors are proven in battle.
They will devour your harvest and your food.
They will devour your sons and your daughters.
They will devour your flocks and your herds,
and devour your vines and your fig trees.
You put your trust in your fortified cities, but they will ransack them
and slaughter the inhabitants.’ ”
YAHWEH
“Yet even then,” YAHWEH said to me, “I will not completely eliminate you. And when people ask you, ‘Why did YAHWEH our God bring this tragedy upon us?’ You will answer, ‘As you have forsaken YAHWEH and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a foreign land.’
“Declare this to the descendants of Jacob and spread it throughout Judah:
‘Pay attention, you foolish and senseless people.
They have eyes but refuse to see.
They have ears but refuse to hear.
I, YAHWEH, am speaking to you.
Do you not fear?
Do you not tremble in awe in my presence?
I made the sand as a border for the sea,
an ancient barrier that it does not pass.
Though the waves roar and beat against it,
they can neither go beyond it nor break through it.
But these people have stubborn, rebellious hearts.
They all turn aside and go their own way.
They never say in their heart,
“Let us now give reverence to YAHWEH our God
who gives us showers at the time of his favor,
the early and latter rain in its season,
and graciously gives us a harvest each year.”
The guilt of your sins has upset nature’s order
and withheld my blessings from you.
Your sins have kept these good things from you!’ ”
“Lurking among my people are wicked criminals.
They are like hunters hiding to catch birds in their nets,
setting their traps to catch people.
Like cages full of captured birds,
they fill their houses with lies and deceit.
This is how they have become rich and powerful,
fat and prosperous.
Indeed, their wickedness knows no bounds.
There is no true justice in their judgments—
they neither stand up for the rights of the orphans,
nor help the needy receive their fair portion.
I, YAHWEH, promise to hold them accountable for these things.
I will be justified to punish a nation such as this.
“A shocking and horrible thing has happened in the land.
The prophets prophesy lies,
and the priests lead out of their own self-interest.
And my people love it that way.
But what will they do when judgment comes?”
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