UST MIC Chapter 2

Yahweh will punish those who oppress the poor

2 Terrible things will happen to you who lie awake in bed at night

planning how to do evil things.

You get up at dawn and you do those things,

simply because you are able to do them.

2 You want fields that belong to other people,

so you forcefully take them;

you want their houses, so you steal them.

You cheat people and take away their property, including what their families have owned for generations.

3 So this is what Yahweh says:

“Listen to me! I am planning to destroy you people,

and you will not be able to escape from it.

You will no longer be able to act proudly,

because you will be experiencing terrible things.

4 At that time, your enemies will mock you

by singing this very sad song about you:

‘Yahweh has completely destroyed us Israelites!

Yahweh is taking the portions of land away from us that he had given to us!

We are extremely distressed because he is giving our fields to our enemies!’ ”

5 So when Yahweh’s people return to divide up the land again,

no one from your families will be there to receive any of it.

6 False prophets who hear me say this prophesy to me,

“Do not prophesy!”

They do not prophesy about these things, therefore Yahweh will certainly dishonor them.

7 You descendants of Jacob should not say such things as,

“Yahweh does not become impatient.”

Or, “These are not the kinds of things that he does.”

What I say certainly helps those who do what is right.

8 However, Yahweh says,

“Recently my people have turned against me and become my enemies.

When people pass by feeling safe,

like soldiers returning from battle to their own people,

you strip the fine outer garments right off their fronts.

9 You force the women among my people out of the homes that they love,

and you take away from their children forever

the good things that I wanted to give them.

10 So get up and leave!

This land is no longer a place where you can live.

You have made it unacceptable to me by your sins,

so I will destroy it in a way that is severe.”

11 If someone who speaks nothing but lies were to say,

“I will preach that you should drink wine and beer!”

that is the kind of prophet you people would accept.

12 “However, some day I will certainly gather all of you descendants of Jacob.

I will certainly bring together the Israelite people who survive.

I will bring them together in one place, as a shepherd gathers a flock of sheep into a good pasture.

They will make a lot of noise because there will be very many of them.

13 I will send someone who will open the way in front of them, and they will follow behind him, going out through the gate.

Their king will go before them,

and I, Yahweh, will be the one leading them.”