"Israelwas holyto the LORD,The firstof His harvest.Allwho ateof it becameguilty;Evilcameupon them," declaresthe LORD.'"
"You shall not delay[the offering from] your harvestand your vintage.The firstbornof your sonsyou shall giveto Me.
"Also [you shall observe] the Feastof the Harvest[of] the firstfruitsof your labors[from] whatyou sowin the field;also the Feastof the Ingatheringat the endof the yearwhen you gatherin [the fruit of] your laborsfrom the field.
"Behold,allthose who are angeredat you will be shamedand dishonored;Thosewhocontendwith you will be as nothingand will perish.
"I was angrywith My people,I profanedMy heritageAnd gavethem into your hand.You did not showmercyto them, On the agedyou madeyour yokeveryheavy.
Thussaysthe LORDconcerningallMy wickedneighborswho strikeat the inheritancewith whichI have endowedMy peopleIsrael,"BeholdI am about to uprootthem from their landand will uprootthe houseof Judahfrom amongthem.
Hearthe wordof the LORD,O houseof Jacob,and allthe familiesof the houseof Israel.
Thereforeallwho devouryou will be devoured;And allyour adversaries,everyoneof them, will gointo captivity;And those who plunderyou will be for plunder,And allwho preyupon you I will givefor prey.
"Allwho cameupon them have devouredthem; And their adversarieshave said,We are not guilty,Inasmuchas they have sinnedagainst the LORD[who is] the habitationof righteousness,Even the LORD,the hopeof their fathers.'
Tellyour sonsabout it, And [let] your sons[tell] their sons,And their sonsthe nextgeneration.
Woeto thosewho are at easein ZionAnd to those who [feel] securein the mountainof Samaria,The distinguishedmen of the foremostof nations,To whomthe houseof Israelcomes.
"Thenthey will sweepthrough[like] the windand passon. But they will be heldguilty,They whosestrengthis their god."
"But I am veryangrywith the nationswho are at ease;for while I was only a littleangry,they furtheredthe disaster."
For thussaysthe LORDof hosts,"AftergloryHe has sentme againstthe nationswhich plunderyou, for he who touchesyou, touchesthe appleof His eye.
"Allthe bestof the freshoiland allthe bestof the freshwineand of the grain,the firstfruitsof those whichthey giveto the LORD,I givethem to you.
Ifthe first piece[of dough] is holy,the lumpis also;and ifthe rootis holy,the branchesare too.
also[greet] the churchthat is in their house.GreetEpaenetus,my beloved,whois the first convertto Christfrom Asia.
justas He choseus in Him beforethe foundationof the world,that we would be holyand blamelessbeforeHim. In love
"For you are a holypeopleto the LORDyour God,and the LORDhas chosenyou to be a peoplefor His own possessionout of allthe peopleswhoare on the faceof the earth.
and that He will setyou highaboveallnationswhichHe has made,for praise,fame,and honor;and that you shall be a consecratedpeopleto the LORDyour God,as He has spoken."
"For you are a holypeopleto the LORDyour God;the LORDyour Godhas chosenyou to be a peoplefor His own possessionout of allthe peopleswhoare on the faceof the earth.
In the exercise of His willHe brought us forthby the wordof truth,sothat we would be a kindof first fruitsamong His creatures.
But you are A CHOSENRACE,A royalPRIESTHOOD,A HOLYNATION,A PEOPLEFOR [God's] OWN POSSESSION,sothat you may proclaimthe excellenciesof Him who has calledyou out of darknessinto His marvelouslight;
Theseare the ones who have not been defiledwith women,for they have kept themselveschaste.These[are] the ones who followthe LambwhereverHe goes.Thesehave been purchasedfrom amongmenas first fruitsto Godand to the Lamb.
