Judgment on Israel
1I saw a vision of the Lord
standing by the temple altar,
and he said,
“Shake the columns
until the tops fall loose,
and the doorposts crumble.
Then make the pieces fall
on the people below.
I will take a sword and kill
anyone who escapes.
2“If they dig deep into the earth
or climb to the sky,
I'll reach out and get them.
3If they escape to the peaks
of Mount Carmel,
I'll search and find them.
And if they hide from me
at the bottom of the ocean,
I'll command a sea monster
to bite them.
4I'll send a sword to kill them,
wherever their enemies
drag them off as captives.
I'm determined to hurt them,
not to help them.”
His Name Is the Lord
5When the Lord God All-Powerful
touches the earth, it melts,
and its people mourn.
God makes the earth rise
and then fall,
just like the Nile River.
6He built his palace in the heavens
and let its foundations
rest on the earth.
He scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
His name is the Lord.
The Lord Is God
7Israel, I am the Lord God,
and the Ethiopians
are no less important to me
than you are.
I brought you out of Egypt,
but I also brought
the Philistines from Crete
and the Arameans from Kir.
8My eyes have seen
what a sinful nation you are,
and I'll wipe you out.
But I will leave a few
of Jacob's descendants.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
9At my command, all of you
will be sifted like grain.
Israelites who remain faithful
will be scattered
among the nations.
And the others will be trapped
like trash in a sifter.
10Some of you are evil,
and you deny
that you will ever get caught.
But you will be killed.
The Lord's Promise to Israel
11 In the future, I will rebuild
David's fallen kingdom.
I will build it from its ruins
and set it up again,
just as it used to be.
12Then you will capture Edom
and the other nations
that are mine.
I, the Lord, have spoken,
and my words will come true.
13You will have such a harvest
that you won't be able
to bring in all of your wheat
before plowing time.
You will have grapes left over
from season to season;
your fruitful vineyards
will cover the mountains.
14I'll make Israel prosper again.
You will rebuild your towns
and live in them.
You will drink wine
from your own vineyards
and eat the fruit you grow.
15I'll plant your roots deep
in the land I have given you,
and you won't ever
be uprooted again.
I, the Lord God, have spoken!