They huntedour stepsSothat we could not walkin our streets;Our enddrewnear,Our dayswere finishedFor our endhad come.
He said,"Whatdo you see,Amos?"And I said,"A basketof summerfruit."Then the LORDsaidto me, "The endhas comefor My peopleIsrael.I will sparethem nolonger.
My enemieswithoutcauseHuntedme downlike a bird;
"Behold,I am going to sendfor manyfishermen,"declaresthe LORD,"and they will fishfor them; and afterwardsI will sendfor manyhunters,and they will huntthem from everymountainand everyhilland from the cleftsof the rocks.
"Sonof man,behold,the houseof Israelis saying,'The visionthat he seesis for manyyears[from now], and he prophesiesof timesfaroff.'
For thussaysthe LORDof hosts,the Godof Israel:"The daughterof Babylonis like a threshingfloorAt the timeit is stampedfirm;Yetin a littlewhilethe timeof harvestwill comefor her."
Then the LORDsaidto me, "You have seenwell,for I am watchingoverMy wordto performit."
"May a slanderernot be establishedin the earth;May evilhuntthe violentmanspeedily."
Should [my head] be liftedup, You would huntme like a lion;And againYou would showYour poweragainst me.
"Afterwhomhas the kingof Israelcomeout? Whomare you pursuing?A deaddog,a singleflea?
The prophetsprophesyfalsely,And the priestsruleon their [own] authority;And My peopleloveit so!But whatwill you doat the endof it?
While he was at the Gateof Benjamin,a captainof the guardwhose namewas Irijah,the sonof Shelemiahthe sonof Hananiahwas there;and he arrestedJeremiahthe prophet,saying,"You are goingoverto the Chaldeans!"
