God’s Judgment on Israel’s Neighbours

3 The Lord says:

For Damascus’ three crimes – no, four! –

I will not rescind my judgment.

They have threshed Gilead

with threshing instruments of iron.

4 Therefore I will send fire on Hazael’s house,

it will devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.

5 I will break open the gate of Damascus,

I will wipe out those who live in the valley of Aven

and the sceptred ruler of Beth-Eden.

The people of Aram will go into captivity in Kir,

says the Lord.

6 The Lord says:

For Gaza’s three crimes – no, four! –

I will not rescind my judgment.

They carried away captive a whole nation,

sold them as slaves to Edom.

7 Therefore I will send fire on the wall of Gaza,

and it shall devour her palaces.

8 And I will wipe out those who live in Ashdod,

and the sceptred ruler of Askelon.

I will turn my hand against Ekron,

and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,

says the Lord.

9 The Lord says:

For Tyre’s three crimes – no, four! –

I will not rescind my judgment.

They carried away captive a whole people into exile in Edom,

and did not remember the brotherly covenant.

10 So I will send fire on the walls of Tyre.

It will devour her palaces.

11 The Lord says:

For Edom’s three crimes – no, four! –

I will not rescind my judgment.

They pursued their relatives with the sword,

stilled their pity,

cherished their anger continually,

retained their fury forever.

12 So I will send a fire into Teman.

It will destroy the palaces of Bozrah.

13 The Lord says:

For Ammonites’ three crimes – no, four! –

I will not rescind my judgment.

They have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,

in their lust for land.

14 So I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah.

It will destroy her palaces,

with a war-cry in the day of battle,

with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.

15 Their king will go into exile,

he and his nobles together,

says the Lord.

2 The Lord says:

For Moab’s three crimes – no, four! –

I will not rescind my judgment.

They have burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom,

2 to desecrate the dead.

So I will send a fire into Moab.

It will devour the palaces of Kirioth,

with a war-cry,

with the sound of trumpets.

3 I will kill the ruler,

all his nobles I will slay with him,

says the Lord.

4 The Lord says:

For Judah’s three crimes – no, four! –

I will not rescind my judgment.

They have rejected the law of the Lord

and have not kept his statutes.

Instead their false gods their ancestors followed,

have led them astray.

5 So I will send a fire on Judah.

It will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.