What will you do on the day when the Lord punishes you? On that day trouble will come from far away. Who will you run to for help? Who will you trust your riches with?
The day of the Lord is coming. It will be a terrible day. The Lord’s burning anger will blaze out. He will make the land dry and empty. He’ll destroy the sinners in it.
“I will turn it into a place where nothing but owls can live. I will turn it into a swamp. I will sweep through it like a broom and destroy everything,” announces the Lord who rules over all.
“Cities of Philistia, cry out for help! Scream in pain! All you Philistines, melt away in fear! An army is coming from the north in a cloud of dust. No one in its ranks is falling behind.
The Lord who rules over all has set apart a day when he will judge. He has set it apart for all those who are proud and think they are important. He has set it apart for all those who brag about themselves. All of them will be brought low.
Here is a prophecy against Tyre that the Lord gave me. Men in the ships of Tarshish, cry out! The city of Tyre is destroyed. Its houses and harbor are gone. That’s the message you have received from the island of Cyprus.
That’s because the Lord has set aside a day to pay Edom back. He has set aside a year to pay them back. He will pay them back for what they did to Zion.
So horrible trouble will come on you. You will not know how to use your evil magic to make it go away. Great trouble will fall on you. No amount of money can keep it away. Something terrible will happen to you all at once. You will not see it coming ahead of time.
“Now look at what has happened to them,” announces the Lord. “Once again my people have been taken away. And no one paid anything for them. Those who rule over them brag about it,” announces the Lord. “All day long without stopping, people speak evil things against my name.
He has sent me to announce the year when he will set his people free. He wants me to announce the day when he will pay his enemies back. Our God has sent me to comfort all those who are sad.
My servants will sing with joy in their hearts. But you will cry out because of the great pain in your hearts. You will cry because your spirits are sad.
“Heshbon, weep for Ai! It is destroyed! Cry out, you who live in Rabbah! Put on the clothes of sadness and mourn. Run here and there inside the walls. Your god named Molek will be carried away. So will its priests and officials.
Son of man, cry out and weep. The sword is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. It will kill them along with the rest of my people. So beat your chest in sorrow.
Priests, put on the clothing of sadness and mourn. Cry, you who serve at the altar. Come, you who serve my God in the temple. Spend the night dressed in the clothes of sadness. Weep because no one brings grain offerings and drink offerings to the house of your God anymore.
Priests, blow the trumpets in Zion. Give a warning on my holy mountain. Let everyone who lives in the land tremble with fear. The day of the Lord is coming. It is very near.
The Lord thunders with his mighty voice as he leads his army. He has so many forces they can’t even be counted. The army that obeys his commands is mighty. The day of the Lord is great and terrifying. Who can live through it?
Be silent in front of him. He is the Lord and King. The day of the Lord is near. The Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has set apart for himself the people he has invited.
They will be terrified by her suffering. They will stand far away from her. And they will cry out, “ ‘How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city! How terrible for you, mighty city of Babylon! In just one hour you have been destroyed!’