Woe to Evildoers
1 Woe to those who devise iniquity,
And work out evil on their beds!
# Atmorning light they practice it,
Because it is in the power of their hand.
2 Theycovet fields and takethemby violence,
Also houses, and seizethem.
So they oppress a man and his house,
A man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says theLord:
# “Behold, against thisfamily I am devisingdisaster,
From which you cannot remove your necks;
Nor shall you walk haughtily,
For thisisan evil time.
4 In that dayoneshall take up a proverb against you,
# Andlament with a bitter lamentation, saying:
‘We are utterly destroyed!
He has changed the heritage of my people;
How He has removeditfrom me!
To a turncoat He has divided our fields.’ ”
5 Therefore you will have no one to determine boundaries by lot
In the assembly of theLord.
Lying Prophets
6 “Do not prattle,”yousaytothosewho prophesy.
So they shall not prophesy to you;
They shall not return insult for insult.
7 Youwhoarenamed the house of Jacob:
“Is the Spirit of theLordrestricted?
Arethese His doings?
Do not My words do good
To him who walks uprightly?
8 “Lately My people have risen up as an enemy—
You pull off the robe with the garment
From those who trustyou,as they pass by,
Like men returned from war.
9 The women of My people you cast out
From their pleasant houses;
From their children
You have taken away My glory forever.
10 “Arise and depart,
# For thisisnotyourrest;
# Because it isdefiled, it shall destroy,
Yes, with utter destruction.
11 If a man should walk in a false spirit
And speak a lie,saying,
‘I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,’
# Even he would be theprattler of this people.
Israel Restored
12 “Iwill surely assemble all of you, O Jacob,
I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
# I will put them togetherlike sheep of the fold,
Like a flock in the midst of their pasture;
# They shall make a loud noise because ofsomanypeople.
13 The one who breaks open will come up before them;
They will break out,
Pass through the gate,
And go out by it;
# Their king will pass before them,
# With theLordat their head.”