The Lord who commands armies told me this: ¹  “Many houses will certainly become desolate, large, impressive houses will have no one living in them. ² 

Is not Calneh like Carchemish? Hamath like Arpad? Samaria like Damascus? ¹ 

Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: ¹  “Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble?

Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. ¹  Do you really think you will be rescued? ² 

“Yet in days to come I will reverse Elam’s ill fortune.” ¹  says the Lord. ² 

Because he considered ¹  and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die.

All the inhabitants of the coastlands are shocked at you, and their kings are horribly afraid – their faces are troubled.

All who know you among the peoples are shocked at you; you have become terrified and will be no more.’”

Suppose I say to the wicked, ‘You must certainly die,’ but he turns from his sin and does what is just and right.

So will it happen to you, O Bethel, ¹  because of your great wickedness! When that day dawns, ²  the king of Israel will be destroyed. ³ 

and they cast lots for my people. They traded ¹  a boy for a prostitute; they sold a little girl for wine so they could drink. ² 

Many nations have now assembled against you. They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, ¹  so we can gloat over Zion!” ² 

Indeed, ¹  Gaza will be deserted ²  and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. ³  Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, ⁴  and Ekron will be overthrown. ⁵ 

This is how they will be repaid for their arrogance, ¹  for they taunted and verbally harassed ²  the people of the Lord who commands armies.

“The Lord who rules over all says, ‘I am very much concerned for Zion; indeed, I am so concerned for her that my rage will fall on those who hurt her.’

and will cut him in two, ¹  and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Wherever ¹  they do not receive you, ²  as you leave that town, ³  shake the dust off ⁴  your feet as a testimony against them.”

He ¹  answered them, “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners ²  than all the other Galileans, because they suffered these things?

People will be fainting from fear ¹  and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ² 

Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. ¹