Indeed, he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had struck him, and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they became the stumbling of him and all Israel.
The expression of their faces answers against them, And they declare their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to their soul! For they have dealt out evil on themselves.
“Your own evil will chastise you, And your acts of faithlessness will reprove you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter For you to forsake Yahweh your God, And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares Lord Yahweh of hosts.
And they do not cry out to Me in their heart When they wail on their beds; For the sake of grain and new wine they gather together as sojourners; They depart from Me.
You also say, ‘Behold, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says Yahweh of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I accept that from your hand?” says Yahweh.
“But now, entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us! With this thing which is from your hand, will He lift up any of your faces?” says Yahweh of hosts.
“Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh, Who is the shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! So your enemies will cower before you, And you will tread upon their high places.”