Hear, heavens, and listen, earth, for Yahweh has spoken: "I reared children and I brought [them] up, but they rebelled against me.

Ah, sinful nation, a people heavy [with] iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly. They have forsaken Yahweh; they have despised the holy one of Israel. They are estranged [and gone] backward.

From the sole of the foot and up to [the] head there is no health in it; bruise and sore and bleeding wound have not been cleansed, and they have not been bound up and not softened with the oil.

Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become to me like burden, I am not able to bear [them].

"Come now, and let us argue," says Yahweh. "Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Your princes [are] rebels and companions of thieves. Every one loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend [the] orphan and [the] legal dispute of [the] widow does not come before them.

many peoples shall come. And they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob, and may he teach us part of his ways, and let us walk in his paths." For instruction shall go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations and he shall arbitrate for many peoples. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. A nation shall not lift up a sword against a nation, and they shall not learn war again.

For you have forsaken your people, house of Jacob, because they are full from [the] east, and [of] soothsayers like the Philistines, and {they make alliances} with the offspring of foreigners.

Its land is filled [with] idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what they made [with] their fingers.

and they will enter into [the] caves of [the] rocks and into [the] holes of [the] ground from the presence of the terror of Yahweh and from the glory of his majesty {when he rises} to terrify the earth.

On that day humanity will throw away its idols of silver and its idols of gold, which they made for it to worship, to the rodents and to the bats--

The look on their faces testifies against them and they declare their sin like Sodom; they do not hide [it]. Woe to their soul! For they have dealt out evil to themselves.

Tell [the] innocent that [it is] good for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.

My people--children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, your leaders are misleading [you], and they confuse the course of your paths.

And Yahweh said: "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and they walk [with] outstretched neck, and they give flirting glances [with their] eyes, {mincing along as they go}, and {with their feet they rattle their bangles},

Ah! Those who {join} house with house, they join field together with field until {there is no place} and you are caused to dwell alone in the midst of the land.

Ah! Those who rise early in the morning, they pursue strong drink. Those who linger in the evening, wine inflames them.

And [there] will be lyre and harp, tambourine and flute, and wine [at] their feasts, but they do not look at the deeds of Yahweh, and they do not see the work of his hands.

Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and dry grass sinks down [in the] flame, so their root will become like [the] stench, and their blossom will go up like [the] dust. For they have rejected the instruction of Yahweh of hosts, and they have treated the word of the holy one of Israel with contempt.

And [as for] all of the hills that they hoed with the hoe, you will not go there, [for] fear of briers and thornbushes. And it will become like pastureland [for] cattle and overtrodden land [for] sheep.

And many shall stumble among them, and they shall fall and they shall be broken, and they shall be ensnared and they shall be caught."

Now if they tell you, "Consult the ghosts and the spirits, those who chirp and those who mutter. Should not a people consult its gods, the dead on behalf of the living,

for teaching and for testimony?" {surely they [who] speak like this have no dawn}.

You have made the nation numerous; you have not made the joy great. They rejoice in your presence as [with] joy at the harvest, as they rejoice when they divide plunder.

Aram from [the] east and Philistines from [the] west-- and they devoured Israel with the whole mouth. He has not turned away his anger in all of this, and his hand is still stretched out.

And the people did not turn to the one who struck it, and they did not seek Yahweh of hosts.

For wickedness burned like fire; it consumed brier and thorn. And it kindled the thickets of the forest, and they swirled upward [in] a column of smoke.

They devoured on [the] right but [still] were hungry and devoured on [the] left but they were not satisfied. Each one devoured the flesh of his arm,

Manasseh [devoured] Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they [were] against Judah. In all of this his anger has not turned away, and still his hand [is] stretched out.

to guide [the] needy away from legal claims, and to rob the justice from the poor of my people, to make widows their spoil; and they plunder orphans.

{save that they bow down under the prisoners and fall under the slain}? In all of this his anger has not turned away, and still his hand [is] stretched out.

They crossed over [the] pass; Geba [is] a place of overnight lodging for us. Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul has fled.

They will not injure and they will not destroy on all of my {holy mountain}, for the earth will be full [of the] knowledge [of] Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.

But they shall {swoop} upon [the] Philistine shoulder, {westward}. Together they shall plunder [the] sons of [the] east. Edom and Moab {will be under their command}, and the sons of Ammon [will be] their subjugated people.

Raise a signal on a bare hill, lift up [your] voice to them; wave [the] hand and may they enter [the] gateways of [the] noblemen.

[They are] coming from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, Yahweh and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy {the whole earth}.

and they will be dismayed. Pangs and labor pains will seize [them]; they will tremble like a woman giving birth. {They will stare at one another}, {their faces flushing}.

And this shall happen: like a hunted gazelle or sheep {with none to gather them}, they will each turn to his [own] people, and they will each flee to his [own] land.

And [their] bows will shatter young men. And they will not show mercy on [the] fruit of [the] womb; their eyes will not look compassionately on children.

But Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and he will again choose Israel and set them on their land, and the immigrant will join himself to them, and they will attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

And [the] nations will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will take possession of them in the land of Yahweh as slaves and female slaves. And this will happen: they will take their captors captive and rule over their oppressors.

All of the earth rests [and] is quiet; they break forth [into] singing.

Those who see you will stare at you, they will look closely at you: '[Is] this the man who made the earth tremble, who caused kingdoms to shake,

They gird themselves [with] sackcloth in its streets; on its roofs and public squares everyone wails, going down in weeping.

My heart cries out for Moab; its fugitives [flee] up to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For [at] the ascent of Luhith it goes up it with weeping; for [on] the road of Horonaim they raise up a cry of destruction.

Therefore they carry [the] abundance it has made and their store of goods over the river of the poplars.

For Heshbon withers the fields, the vine of Sibmah; rulers of nations have broken down her tendrils, they reached up to Jazer, they wandered [to the] desert; her shoots spread abroad, they crossed over [the] sea.

The cities of Aroer will be deserted; they will be for the flocks, and they will lie down and {no one will frighten} [them].

On that day, {its fortified cities} will be like the {abandonment of the wooded place and the summit}, which they deserted because of the children of Israel; and there will be desolation.

Ah! [The] noise of many peoples, they make a noise like [the] noise of [the] seas! And [the] roar of nations, they roar like [the] roar of mighty waters!

[The] nations roar like [the] roar of many waters, but he will rebuke him, and he will flee far away. And they are chased like chaff of [the] mountains before [the] wind and like tumbleweed before [the] storm.

They shall {all be left} for birds of prey of [the] mountains and for the animals of the earth. And the birds of prey will pass the summer on it, and every animal of the earth will winter on it.

And the spirit of {the Egyptians} will be disturbed in his midst, and I will {confuse} his plans, and they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, and the ghosts and the spiritists.

Yahweh has mixed a spirit of confusion into her midst, and they have caused Egypt to stagger in all of its doings, as {when a drunkard staggers} in his vomit.

And it will be a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry out to Yahweh because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and a {defender}, and he will deliver them.

And Yahweh will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know Yahweh on that day, and they will worship [with] sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to Yahweh, and they will fulfill [them].

And Yahweh will strike Egypt, striking and healing; and they will return to Yahweh, and he will respond to their prayer, and he will heal them.

And they shall be dismayed, and they shall be ashamed because of Cush, their hope, and because of Egypt, their pride.

For they have fled from [the] swords, from [the] drawn sword and [the] bent bow, and from [the] heaviness of [the] battle.

{noisy}, tumultuous city, exultant town? Your slain [are] not slain by [the] sword, nor [are they] dead from battle.

All of your rulers have fled together without a bow; all of {you who were found} were captured. They were captured together; they had fled far away.

And they will hang all of the heaviness of his father's house on him, the offspring and the offshoot, all of the small vessels, from the {bowls to the jars}.

Be still, inhabitants of [the] coast, merchant of Sidon, who travels over [the] sea, they filled you.

When [the] report [comes] to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report {about} Tyre.

Look [at] the land of the Chaldeans! {This people no longer exists. Assyria destined} it for wild animals. They erected its siege towers; they demolished its citadel fortresses. It made her like a ruin.

and the earth is defiled beneath its inhabitants. For they have transgressed laws; they have passed by statutes; they have broken [the] everlasting covenant.

They do not drink wine with song; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

They lift up their voices; they sing for joy; they shout out from [the] west over the majesty of Yahweh.

And they will be gathered [in] a gathering, [like] a prisoner {in} a pit. And they will be shut {in} a prison and be punished {after} many days.

Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; a city of ruthless nations, they will fear you.

Yahweh, [though] your hand reaches high, they do not see [it]. Let them see, and let them be ashamed of [the] zeal of people. Indeed, let the fire of your enemies consume them.

Yahweh, in distress they have visited you; they poured out an {incantation}; your discipline [was] on them.

{Days are coming}, let Jacob take root; Israel will blossom and send out shoots, and they will fill [the] face of [the] world [with] fruit.

{When its branches are dry}, they are broken; women [are] coming [and] setting light to it. For it [is] not a people of understanding; therefore his maker will not have compassion on him, and his creator will not show him favor.

And this shall happen: on that day, a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria will come, and those who were scattered in the land of Egypt, and they will bow down to Yahweh on the {holy mountain} at Jerusalem.

And these also stagger because of wine and stagger because of strong drink; priest and prophet stagger because of strong drink; they are confused because of wine. They stagger because of strong drink; they err in vision. They stagger [in the] rendering of a decision,

to whom he has said, "This [is] rest; give rest to the weary; and this [is] repose"; yet they were not willing to hear.

And to them the word of Yahweh will be blah-blah upon blah-blah blah-blah upon blah-blah gah-gah upon gah-gah gah-gah upon gah-gah, a little here, a little there, so that they may go and stumble backward and be broken and ensnared and captured.

Be astonished and be amazed! Blind yourselves and be blinded! They are drunk but not [from] wine; they stagger but not [from] strong drink.

And the vision of all this has become for you like [the] words of sealed document. When they give it to one who knows the document, saying, "{Read} this now!" He says, "I am not able, for it [is] sealed."

Ah! Those who make a plan deep, to hide [it] from Yahweh, and their deeds are in a dark place. And they say, "Who sees us? And who knows us?"

For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will treat my name as holy, and they will treat the holy one of Jacob as holy, and they will stand in awe [of] the God of Israel.

Who go to go down [to] Egypt, but they do not ask [of] my mouth, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.

An oracle of the animals of the Negev: Through a land of trouble and distress, [of] lioness and lion, {among} them [are] snake and flying serpent; they carry their wealth on [the] {backs} of male donkeys and their treasures on [the] humps of camels, to a people [that] cannot profit [them].

For {Egyptians} help [with] vanity and emptiness, therefore I have called this one "Rahab, they [are] sitting."

Ah! Those who go down [to] Egypt for help! They rely on horses and trust in chariots because [they are] many, and in horsemen because they are very numerous, and they do not look to the holy one of Israel, and they do not consult Yahweh.

And [the] peoples will be burning [to] lime-- they are burned [like] thorns [that have been] cut down in the fire.

Your eyes will see [the] king in his beauty; they will see a {distant land}.

Your riggings hang slack; they do not hold the base of their mast firm, they do not spread out [the] sail. Then [the] prey of spoil [in] abundance will be divided; [the] lame will take plunder.

And he {is the one that} has cast [the] lot for them, and his hand has apportioned it to them with the measuring line; they shall take possession of it forever, they shall live in it {from generation to generation}.

It shall blossom abundantly, and it shall rejoice indeed with rejoicing and exulting. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. {They are the ones who} shall see the glory of Yahweh, the majesty of our God.

And the ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and they shall come [to] Zion with rejoicing. And everlasting joy [shall be] on their head; joy and gladness shall overtake [them], and sorrow and sighing shall flee.

Where [are] the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where [are] the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, [have] they delivered Samaria from my hand?

But they were silent and did not answer him a word, for the command of the king was, "You must not answer him."

And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day [is] a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to [the] cervical opening, and there is no strength to give birth.

to {set} their gods in the fire, for they [were] not gods, but [the] work of human hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them.

And their inhabitants [are] {weak}; they are dismayed, and they are ashamed; they have become [like] plants of [the] field, and [like] greens of grass, [like] grass on [the] roofs and a cultivated field {before} the standing grain.

And the angel of Yahweh set out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When they rose in the morning, look! All of them [were] dead corpses.

And this happened: he [was] bowing in worship [in] the house of Nisroch his god, and Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him with the sword. And they themselves escaped [to] the land of Ararat, and Esar-haddon his son reigned as king in his place.