Israel and Judah Will Be Judged
The Lord said:
1Listen, you priests!
Pay attention, Israel!
Listen, you members
of the royal family.
Justice was your duty.
But at Mizpah and Mount Tabor
you trapped the people.
2At the place of worship
you were a treacherous pit,
and I will punish you.
3Israel, I know all about you,
and because of your unfaithfulness,
I find you unacceptable.
4Your evil deeds are the reason
you won't return to me,
your Lord God.
And your constant craving for sex
keeps you from knowing me.
5Israel, your pride
testifies to your guilt;
it makes you stumble,
and Judah stumbles too.
6You offer sheep and cattle
as sacrifices to me,
but I have turned away
and refuse to be found.
7You have been unfaithful
to me, your Lord;
you have had children
by prostitutes.
So at the New Moon Festival,
you and your crops
will be destroyed.
The Lord Warns Israel and Judah
8Give a warning on the trumpet!
Let it be heard in Gibeah,
Ramah, and sinful Bethel.
Benjamin, watch out!
9I, the Lord, will punish
and wipe out Israel.
This is my solemn promise
to every tribe of Israel.
10Judah's leaders are like crooks
who move boundary markers;
that's why I will flood them
with my anger.
11Israel was brutally crushed.
They got what they deserved
for worshiping useless idols.
12Now I, the Lord,
will fill Israel with maggots
and make Judah rot.
13When Israel and Judah saw
their sickness and wounds,
Israel asked help from Assyria
and its mighty king.
But the king cannot cure them
or heal their wounds.
14So I'll become a fierce lion
attacking Israel and Judah.
I'll snatch and carry off
what I want,
and no one can stop me.
15Then I'll return to my temple
until they confess their guilt
and worship me,
until they are desperate
and beg for my help.