Therefore shall the sword begin in their cities, the store that they have laid up shall be destroyed and eaten up: and that because of their own imaginations.

My people hath no lust to turn unto me, their prophets lay the yoke upon them, but they ease them not of their burden.

The LORD roareth like a lion, that they may follow him. Yea, as a lion roareth he, that they may be afraid like the children of the sea:

that they may be scattered away from Egypt, as men scare birds: and frayed away, as doves used to be, from the Assyrians' land: and that because I would have them tarry at home, sayeth the LORD.

Ephraim keepeth the air, and followeth after the east wind: he is ever increasing lies and destruction. They be confederate with the Assyrians, their oil is carried into Egypt.

But at Gilead is the abomination, they are fallen to vanity. At Gilgal they have slain oxen: and as many heaps of stones as they had in their land furrows, so many altars have they made.

And now they sin more and more. Of their silver, they make them molten Images, like the idols of the Heathen, and yet all is nothing but the work of the craftsmen. Notwithstanding they preach of the same: whoso will kiss the calves, offereth to men.

Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the dew that early passeth away, and like as dust that the wind taketh away from the floor, and as smoke that goeth out of the chimney.

But when they were well fed and had enough, they waxed proud, and forgot me.

As for Samaria, they shall be made waste. And why? They are disobedient unto their God. They shall perish with the sword, their children shall be slain, and their women great with child shall be ripped up.

They that shall turn and sit in his shadow, shall live with corn, and flourish as vines. His renown shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

Tell your children of it, and let them show it to their children, and so they - to certify their posterity thereof.

They shall make my vineyard waste, they shall pull off the bark of my fig trees, strip them bare, cast them away, and make the branches white.

O what a fighting make the cattle? The bullocks are very evil liking, because they have no pasture: and the sheep are famished away.

They are to look upon like bairded horses, and run like horsemen.

They skipped up upon the hills, as it were the sound of chariots; as the flame of fire that consumeth the straw, and as a mighty people ready to the battle.

There shall not one drive another, but each shall keep his own way. They shall break in at the windows, and not be hurt:

They shall come into the city, and run upon the walls; They shall climb up upon the houses, and slip in at the windows like a thief.

Gather the people together; bring the elders to one place; gather the young children and they that suck the breasts, together. Let the bridegroom come out of his chamber and the bride out of her parlour.

Let the priests that minister unto the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and say, "Spare, Lord, thy people: and deliver not thine heritage unto rebuke that the heathen should reign over them. Why should they say among the nations, 'Where is their God?'"

I shall gather all people together, and bring them into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And there will I reason with them: because of my people and heritage of Israel; whom they have scattered about in the nations, and parted my land.

Yea, they have cast lots for my people, the young men have they set in the brothel house, and sold the damsels for wine, that they might have to drink.

Your sons and your daughters will I sell through the hands of the children of Judah, and so they shall give them forth to sell, unto them of Sheba, a people of a far country: for the LORD himself hath said it.

"Thus sayeth the LORD, 'For three and four wickednesses of Damascus, I will not spare her: because they have threshed Gilead with iron stales.

Thus sayeth the LORD, 'For three and four wickednesses of Gaza, I will not spare her: because they make the prisoners yet more captive, and have driven them into the land of Edom.

Thus sayeth the LORD, 'For three and four wickednesses of the city of Tyre, I will not spare her: because they have increased the captivity of the Edomites, and have not remembered the brotherly covenant.

Thus sayeth the LORD, 'For three and four wickednesses of the children of Ammon, I will not spare them: because they ripped up the women great with child in Gilead, to make the borders of their lands the wider.

"Thus sayeth the LORD, 'For three and four wickednesses of Judah, I will not spare him: because he hath cast aside the law of the LORD, and not kept his commandments: For why? They would needs be deceived with the lies that their forefathers followed.

They tread upon poor men's heads, in the dust of the earth, and crook the ways of the meek. The son and the father go to the harlot, to dishonour my holy name,

they lie beside every altar upon clothes taken to pledge, and in the house of their gods they drink the wine of the oppressed.

May twain walk together except they be agreed among themselves?

Cry they out Alarum with the trumpet in the city, and the people not afraid? Cometh there any plague in a city without it be the LORD's doing?

"'Preach in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces of the land of Egypt, and say, 'Gather you together upon the mountains of Samaria, so shall ye see great murder and violent oppression among them.' For why? They regard not the thing that is right,

sayeth the LORD: they gather together evil gotten goods, and lay up robbery in their houses.'

Wherefore two, yea three cities came unto one, to drink water: but they were not satisfied. Yet will ye not turn unto me,' sayeth the LORD.

But they owe him evil will, that reproveth them openly: and whoso telleth them the plain truth, they abhor him.

"'If no,' sayeth the LORD God, the God of hosts, 'there shall be mourning in all streets. Yea, they shall say in every street: alas, alas. They shall call the husbandman to lamentation; and such as can mourn, to mourning.

O Woe be to the proud wealthy in Zion, to such as think them so sure upon the mount of Samaria: which hold themselves for the best of the world, and rule the house of Israel, even as they list.

Go unto Calneh, and see: and from thence get you to Hamath the great city, and so go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better at ease than these kingdoms, or the border of their land wider than yours?

so that though there remain ten men in one house, they shall die.

So their next kinfolks and the dead buriers shall take them, and carry away their bones, and say unto him that is in the innermore house, 'Is there yet any more by thee?' And he shall answer, 'They are all gone. Hold thy tongue,' shall he say. For they would not remember the name of the LORD.

Behold, the LORD is minded to smite the great houses, so that they shall decay: and the little houses, that they shall cleave asunder.

Now when they undertook to eat up all the green things in the land, I said, "O LORD God, be merciful, I beseech thee: who should else help up Jacob that is brought so low?"

Shall not the land tremble; and all they that dwell therein, mourn for this? Shall not their destruction come upon them like a water stream; and flow over them, as the flood of Egypt?

Your high feasts will I turn to sorrow, and your songs to mourning: I will bring sackcloth upon all backs, and baldness on every head. Yea, such a mourning will I send them, as is made upon an only begotten son, and they shall have a miserable end.

So that they shall go from the one sea to the other, yea from the north unto the east, running about to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.

yea even they that swear in the offense of Samaria, and say, 'As truly as thy God liveth at Dan, and as truly as thy God liveth at Beersheba' These shall fall, and never rise up again."

I saw the LORD standing upon the altar, and he said, "Smite the door check, that the posts may shake withal. For their covetousness shall fall upon all their heads, and their posterity shall be slain with the sword. They shall not flee away, there shall not one of them escape, nor be delivered.

Though they were buried in the hell, my hand shall fetch them from thence. Though they climb up to heaven, yet shall I cast them down.

Though they hide themselves upon the top of Carmel, yet shall I seek them out, and bring them from thence. Though they creep down from my sight into the deep of the sea, I shall command the serpent, even there to bite them.

If they go away before their enemies into captivity, then shall I command the sword there to slay them. Thus will I set mine eyes upon them, for their harm and not for their wealth.

For when the LORD God of hosts toucheth a land, it consumeth away, and all they that dwell therein, must needs mourn: And why? Their destruction shall arise as every stream and run over them, as the flood in Egypt.

For lo, this I promise: though I sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as they use to sift in a sieve: yet shall not the smallest gravel stone fall upon the earth.

that they may possess the remnant of Edom, yea and all such people as call upon my name with them," sayeth the LORD, which doth these things.

And I will turn the captivity of my people Israel: and they shall build the cities that are fallen in decay, and shall inhabit them, and shall plant vines and drink wine, and shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them.

And I will plant them their own land, and they shall not be any more plucked out of their land which I have given them," saith the LORD thy God.

If the thieves and robbers came to thee by night, thou taking thy rest: should they not steal, till they had enough? If the grape gatherers came upon thee, would they not leave thee some grapes?

But how shall they rip Esau, and seek out his treasures!

Yea, the men that were sworn unto thee, shall drive thee out of the borders of thine own land. They that be now at one with thee, shall deceive thee, and overcome thee: Even they that eat thy bread, shall betray thee, before thou perceive it.

Thy giants, O Teman, shall be afraid, for through the slaughter they shall be all overthrown upon the mount of Esau.

For likewise as ye have drunken upon mine holy hill, so shall all Heathen drink continually: yea drink shall they, and swallow up, so that ye shall be as though ye had never been.

Moreover, the house of Jacob shall be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau the straw: which they shall kindle and consume, so that nothing shall be left of the house of Esau, for the LORD himself hath said it.

They of the South shall have the mount of Esau in possession. And look: what lieth upon the ground, that shall the Philistines have. The plain fields shall Ephraim and Samaria possess: and the mountains of Gilead shall Benjamin have.

Thus they that escape upon the hill of Zion, shall go up to punish the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

And they said, one to another, come and let us cast lots, to know for whose cause we are thus troubled. And they cast lots. And the lot fell upon Jonah.

Then they said unto him, "Tell us for whose cause we are thus troubled: what is thine occupation, whence comest thou, how is thy country called, and of what nation art thou?"

Then were the men exceedingly afraid and said unto him, "Why didst thou so?" For they knew that he was fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

Then they said unto him, "What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may cease from troubling us?" For the sea wrought, and was troublous.

Wherefore they cried unto the LORD and said, "O LORD let us not perish for this man's death, neither lay innocent blood unto our charge: for thou LORD, even as thy pleasure was, so thou hast done."

And then they took Jonah, and cast him into the sea: and the sea left raging.

They that observe vain vanities, have forsaken him that was merciful unto them.

And it was cried and commanded in Nineveh by the authority of the king and of his lords, saying, "See that neither man or beast, ox or sheep taste ought at all, and that they neither feed or drink water."

And they put on sackcloth both man and beast, and cried unto God mightily, and turned every man from his wicked way, and from doing wrong in which they were accustomed, saying,

And when God saw their works, how they turned from their wicked ways, he repented on the evil which he said he would do unto them, and did it not.

All her Images shall be broken down and all her winnings shall be burnt in the fire: yea, all her Idols will I destroy. For why? They are gathered out of the hire of a whore, and into a whore's hire shall they be turned again.

Weep not, lest they at Gath perceive it. Thou at Bethleaphrah, welter thyself in the dust and ashes.

Make thee bald, and shave thee, because of thy tender children: Make thee clean bald as an Eagle, for they shall be carried away captive from thee.

When they covet to have land, they take it by violence; they rob men of their houses. Thus they oppress a man for his house, and every man for his heritage.

"Tush, hold your tongue," say they. "It shall not fall on this people, we shall not come so to confusion,"

but my people doth the contrary, therefore must I take part against them. For they take away both coat and cloak from the simple. Ye have turned yourselves to fight;

Up, get you hence, for here shall ye have no rest. Because of their Idolatry they are corrupt, and shall miserably perish.

If I were a fleshly fellow, and a preacher of lies, and told them that they might sit bibbing and bolling, and be drunken: O that were a Prophet for this people!

But I will gather thee indeed, O Jacob, and drive the remnant of Israel all together. I shall carry them one with another, as a flock in the fold, and as the cattle in their stalls, that they may be disquieted of other men.

Whoso breaketh the gap, he shall go before. They shall break up the port, and go in and out at it. Their king shall go before them, and the LORD shall be upon the head of them.

Now the time shall come, that when they call unto the LORD, he shall not hear them, but hide his face from them, because that through their own Imaginations they have dealt so wickedly.

And as concerning the prophets that deceive my people, thus the LORD sayeth against them: When they have any thing to bite upon, then they preach that all shall be well. But if a man put not some thing in to their mouths, they preach of war against him.

Then shall the vision seers be ashamed, and the soothsayers confounded: yea they shall be fain, all the pack of them, to stop their mouths: for they have not God's word.

O ye judges, ye give sentence for gifts; O ye priests, ye teach for lucre; O ye prophets, ye prophesy for money. Yet will they be taken as those that hold upon God, and say, "Is not the LORD among us? Tush, there can no misfortune happen us."

And shall give sentence among the multitude of the Heathen and reform the people of far countries: so that of their swords they shall make plowshares, and scythes of their spears. One people shall not lift up a sword against another, yea they shall no more learn to fight.

But they know not the thoughts of the LORD; they understand not his counsel, that shall gather them together as the sheaves in the barn.

After that shalt thou be robbed thyself, O thou robber's daughter: they shall lay siege against us, and smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

He shall stand fast, and give food in the strength of the LORD, and in the victory of the name of the LORD his God: and when they be converted, he shall be magnified unto the farthest parts of the world.

There is not a godly man upon earth, there is not one righteous among men. They labour all to shed blood, and every man hunteth his brother to death:

yet they say they do well when they do evil. As the prince will, so sayeth the judge: that he may do him a pleasure again. The great man speaketh what his heart desireth; and the hearers allow him.

The best of them is but as a thistle, and the most righteous of them is but as a brier in the hedge. But when the day of thy preachers cometh, that thou shalt be visited: then shall they be wasted away.

for the son shall put his father to dishonour, the daughter shall rise against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law: and a man's foes shall be even they of his own household.

and at that time shall they come unto thee, from Assyria unto the strong cities, and from the strong cities unto the river: from the one sea to the other, from the one mountain to the other.

Therefore feed thy people with thy rod; the flock of thine heritage which dwell desolate in the wood: that they may be fed upon the mount of Carmel, Bashan and Gilead as afore time.

Marvelous things will I show them, like as when they came out of Egypt.

This shall the Heathen see, and be ashamed for all their power: so that they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, and stop their ears.