7 Yahweh gave me this message: 2 “You, humanity’s child, the master Yahweh says this to the country of Yisrael.

“ ‘An end. An end has come to the four borders of the country.

3 Now your end has come, because I’m sending out my rage onto you, and I’ll judge you according to your behaviour,

then I’ll bring all your disgusting habits back upon you. 4 I won’t pity you, and I won’t spare you. Instead, I’ll bring your ways back upon you,

and your disgusting actions will come back on you so you’ll know that I am Yahweh.’ ”

5 My master Yahweh says this:

“Disaster. A unique disaster. Listen, it’s coming. 6 An end of an era is definitely coming. The end has woken up and is starting to work against you—yes it’s coming. 7 Your doom is coming to you who inhabit the land. The time has come. The day of destruction is near, and the mountains will no longer be cheerful.

8 “Now before long I’ll pour out my fury against you and expend my rage upon you when I judge you according to what you do and bring all your disgusting actions back on you, 9 because I won’t be compassionate and I won’t spare you. Whatever you’ve done in the past, I’ll do to you now, and your disgusting actions will bounce back on you so you’ll know that it’s me, Yahweh, who’s punishing you. 10 Look here, the day—yes, it’s coming. Doom has gone out. The wooden stick has blossomed. Arrogance has budded. 11 Violence has grown up into a wooden stick of wickedness, but none of them (even though there’s many of them), and none of their wealth, and none of their importance will continue.

12 “The time is coming—the day has come close. Don’t let a buyer be happy or a seller be sad, because my anger is directed at the entire large group. 13 No, the seller won’t return to the land he sold as long as they both live, because the vision concerning the entire group won’t be reversed, and because of their disobedience, none of them will be able to save themselves. 14 They’ve blown the trumpet and gotten everything ready, but there’s no one marching to battle, since my anger is on the entire large group.

15 “The sword is on the outside, and plague and famine are inside the building. People who are in the countryside will die by the sword, while famine and plague will consume those in the city. 16 But some survivors will escape from among them, and will go up into the hills. Like the doves that live in the valleys, all of them will moan—each person for their own disobedience. 17 They won’t be able to use their trembling hands, and their knees will feel like liquid. 18 They’ll wear sackcloth, but will be covered in terror. Their faces will display their shame, and they’ll shave their heads as a sign of sorrow. 19 They’ll throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like rubbish. Their silver and gold won’t be able to rescue them in the day of Yahweh’s rage. Their lives won’t be saved, and their hunger won’t be satisfied, because their disobedience has become a stumbling block. 20 In their pride they took his beautiful jewelled ornaments and made them into their idolatrous figures and detestable things. Therefore, I’m going to defile those things. 21 I’ll hand those things over to strangers and to the earth’s wicked people as plunder, and they’ll defile them. 22 Then I’ll put my hand over my eyes when they defile my cherished place—bandits will enter it and defile it.

23 “Make a chain, because the country is filled with judgement for murder, and now the city is full of violence. 24 I’ll bring the most wicked foreigners here, and they’ll take over the people’s houses, and I’ll bring the pride of the powerful people to an end, because their sacred places will be defiled. 25 Anguish will be the order of the day, and they’ll wish for peace, but there won’t be any. 26 Disaster will follow disaster and there’ll be rumour after rumour. Then they’ll be wanting a vision from the prophet, but the priest will no longer teach God’s instructions, and advice from the elders will be useless. 27 The king will mourn and the prince will be overcome by despair, while the hands of the country’s people will tremble in fear. I’ll do that to them just like they did to others. I’ll judge them by their own standards until they know that I am Yahweh.”