'People' in the Bible

Hear, O peoples, all of you;Listen closely, O earth and all that is in it,And let the Lord God be witness [giving a testimony of the judgment] against you,The Lord from His holy temple [in the heavens].

For Samaria’s wound is incurable,For it has come to Judah;The enemy has reached the gate of my people,Even to Jerusalem.

Announce it not in Gath [in Philistia],Weep not at all [and in this way betray your grief to Gentiles];In Beth-le-aphrah (House of Dust) roll in the dust [among your own people].

“On that day they shall take up a [taunting, deriding] parable against youAnd wail with a doleful and bitter song of mourning and say,‘We are completely destroyed!God exchanges the inheritance of my people;How He removes it from me!He divides our fields to the rebellious [our captors].’

“But lately My people have stood up as an enemy [and have made Me their antagonist].You strip the ornaments off the garmentOf those unsuspecting passers-by,Like those returned from war.

“You evict the women (widows) of My people,Each one from her pleasant house;From her [young, fatherless] children you take away My splendor and blessing forever [by putting them among the pagans, away from Me].

“If a man walking in a false spirit [spouting deception]Should lie and say,‘I will prophesy to you [O Israel] of wine and liquor (greed, sensual pleasure),’He would be the acceptable spokesman of this people.

“You who hate good and love evil,Who tear the skin off my peopleAnd their flesh from their bones;

You who eat the flesh of my people,Strip off their skin from them,Break their bonesAnd chop them in pieces as for the pot,Like meat in a kettle.”

Thus says the Lord concerning the [false] prophets who lead my people astray;When they have something good to bite with their teeth,They call out, “Peace,”But against the one who gives them nothing to eat,They declare a holy war.

“Hear, O mountains, the indictment of the Lord,And you enduring foundations of the earth,For the Lord has a case (a legal complaint) against His people,And He will dispute (challenge) Israel.

“O My people, what have I done to you [since you have turned away from Me]?And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.

“My people, remember nowWhat Balak king of Moab devised [with his evil plan against Israel]And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him [turning the curse into blessing for Israel],[Remember what the Lord did for you] from Shittim to Gilgal,So that you may know the righteous and saving acts [displaying the power] of the Lord.”

“For [you have kept] the statutes of Omri [the idolatrous king],And all the works of the [wicked] house (dynasty) of Ahab;And you walk in their counsels and policies.Therefore, I shall hand you over for destruction and horrorAnd your [city’s] inhabitants for ridicule,And you shall bear the rebuke and scorn of My people.”

Shepherd and rule Your people with Your scepter [of blessing],The flock of Your inheritance and Your possessionWhich dwells alone [separate and secure from attack] in the forest,In the midst of a garden land.Let them feed in Bashan and GileadAs in the days of old [the days of Moses and Elijah].