The day of punishment

18 Terrible things will happen to you who desire that it will soon be the day when Yahweh will punish your enemies,

because that will be a day of darkness, not of light.

19 At that time, when you try to run from a lion,

you will face a bear.

When you run into your house to be safe,

and you put your hand on a wall,

it will be bitten by a snake.

20 That day, when he punishes people, will certainly be [RHQ] a very dark day [MET],

without even a little bit of light.

21 Yahweh says, “I hate your religious celebrations

and the times when you gather to worship me;

I detest them [DOU].

22 Even if you bring me offerings that will be completely burned on the altar and offerings of grain,

I will no longer accept them.

Even if you bring me offerings to renew/maintain fellowship with me,

I will not pay any attention to them.

23 So, stop singing noisy/loud songs!

I will not listen when you play harps.

24 Instead, your continually acting justly/fairly and righteously should be never stop,

like [SIM] the water in a river that never stops flowing.

25 You Israeli people [MTY], your ancestors wandered through the desert for 40 years;

and during that time, they never brought any sacrifices and offerings to me!

26 But they carried the two idols that they had made—

the idols of Succoth, the god that they considered to be their king,

and Kaiwan, the image of the star that they worshiped.

27 Therefore, now I will force you to go to a country that is far beyond Damascus!

That will surely happen because I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it!”