God’s Judgment on Israel

6 The Lord says:

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

I will not rescind my judgment.

They sell the righteous for money,

the needy for a pair of shoes.

7 They trample on the head of the poor,

push the humble out of the way.

Father and son go to the same temple girl,

and so profane my holy name.

8 They stretch themselves

on garments taken in pledges beside every altar,

and they drink the wine

of those who have been fined in the house of their God.

9 It was I who destroyed the Amorites for your sake,

whose height was like that of the cedars,

as strong as oaks.

I destroyed their fruit from above

and their roots from below.

10 It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,

led you forty years in the wilderness,

brought you here to possess the land of the Amorites.

11 I raised up some of your sons to be prophets

some of your youths to be Nazirites.

Is not this indeed so, Israelites?

says the Lord.

12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine

and banned the prophets from prophesying.

13 Listen!

It is I who will make you groan in your places,

as a wagon groans under its load of grain.

14 Then flight will fail the swift,

and the strength of the strongest will be useless.

The warrior will not save his life,

15 the archer will not stand firm,

the swift of foot will not escape,

the horseman will not save his life.

16 The bravest of warriors

will flee away naked in that day,

says the Lord.