8
The Lord has spoken out against Jacob;
his judgment has fallen upon Israel.
9
And the people of Israel 1 and Samaria,
who spoke with such pride and arrogance,
will soon know it.
10
They said, “We will replace the broken bricks of our ruins with finished stone,
and replant the felled sycamore-fig trees with cedars.”
11
But the Lord will bring Rezin’s enemies against Israel
and stir up all their foes.
12
The Syrians 2 from the east and the Philistines from the west
will bare their fangs and devour Israel.
But even then the Lord ’s anger will not be satisfied.
His fist is still poised to strike.
13
For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent.
They will not seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
14
Therefore, in a single day the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail,
the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.
15
The leaders of Israel are the head,
and the lying prophets are the tail.
16
For the leaders of the people have misled them.
They have led them down the path of destruction.
17
That is why the Lord takes no pleasure in the young men
and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans.
For they are all wicked hypocrites,
and they all speak foolishness.
But even then the Lord ’s anger will not be satisfied.
His fist is still poised to strike.
18
This wickedness is like a brushfire.
It burns not only briers and thorns
but also sets the forests ablaze.
Its burning sends up clouds of smoke.
19
The land will be blackened
by the fury of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
The people will be fuel for the fire,
and no one will spare even his own brother.
20
They will attack their neighbor on the right
but will still be hungry.
They will devour their neighbor on the left
but will not be satisfied.
In the end they will even eat their own children. 3
21
Manasseh will feed on Ephraim,
Ephraim will feed on Manasseh,
and both will devour Judah.
But even then the Lord ’s anger will not be satisfied.
His fist is still poised to strike.
1
What sorrow awaits the unjust judges
and those who issue unfair laws.
2
They deprive the poor of justice
and deny the rights of the needy among my people.
They prey on widows
and take advantage of orphans.
3
What will you do when I punish you,
when I send disaster upon you from a distant land?
To whom will you turn for help?
Where will your treasures be safe?
4
You will stumble along as prisoners
or lie among the dead.
But even then the Lord ’s anger will not be satisfied.
His fist is still poised to strike.