For behold,the LORDis going to commandthat the greathousebe smashedto piecesand the smallhouseto fragments.
He burnedthe houseof the LORD,the king'shouse,and allthe housesof Jerusalem;even everygreathousehe burnedwith fire.
And He calledfor a famineupon the land;He brokethe wholestaffof bread.
He spoke,and there camea swarmof flies[And] gnatsin alltheir territory.
He spoke,and locustscame,And younglocusts,even withoutnumber,
Through indolencethe rafterssag,and through slacknessthe houseleaks.
I have commandedMy consecratedones, I have evencalledMy mightywarriors,My proudlyexultingones,To [execute] My anger.
Sowill My wordbe whichgoesforthfrom My mouth;It will not returnto Me empty,WithoutaccomplishingwhatI desire,And without succeeding[in the matter] for whichI sentit.
Samariawill be heldguilty,For she has rebelledagainst her God.They will fallby the sword,Their littleoneswill be dashedin pieces,And their pregnantwomenwill be rippedopen.
"I will also smitethe winterhousetogetherwith the summerhouse;The housesof ivorywill also perishAnd the greathouseswill cometo an end,"Declaresthe LORD.
Thereforebecauseyou imposeheavyrenton the poorAnd exacta tributeof grainfrom them, [Though] you have builthousesof well-hewnstone,Yet you will not livein them; You have plantedpleasantvineyards,yet you will not drinktheir wine.
The LordGODhas swornby Himself,the LORDGodof hostshas declared:"I loathethe arroganceof Jacob,And detesthis citadels;Therefore I will deliverup [the] cityand allit contains."
I sawthe Lordstandingbesidethe altar,and He said,"Smitethe capitalsso that the thresholdswill shake,And breakthem on the headsof them all!Then I will slaythe restof them with the sword;They will not have a fugitivewho will flee,Or a refugeewho will escape.
"For behold,I am commanding,And I will shakethe houseof Israelamong allnationsAs [grain] is shakenin a sieve,But not a kernelwill fallto the ground.
The LORDhas issueda commandconcerningyou: "Your namewill nolongerbe perpetuated.I will cutoffidoland imageFrom the houseof your gods.I will prepareyour grave,For you are contemptible."
For I will gatherallthe nationsagainstJerusalemto battle,and the citywill be captured,the housesplundered,the womenravishedand halfof the cityexiled,but the restof the peoplewill not be cutofffrom the city.
ThoughEdomsays,"We have been beatendown,but we will returnand buildup the ruins";thussaysthe LORDof hosts,"They may build,but I will teardown;and [men] will callthem the wickedterritory,and the peopletoward whomthe LORDis indignantforever."
and they will level you to the groundand your childrenwithinyou, and they will not leavein you one stoneupon another,becauseyou did not recognizethe timeof your visitation."
