160 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
160 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
Impending Disaster for Jerusalem
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# Chapter 6
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1. Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin,
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from the midst of Jerusalem!
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Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
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and raise a signal on Beth-haccherem,
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for disaster looms out of the north,
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and great destruction.
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2. The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy,
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the daughter of Zion.
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3. Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her;
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they shall pitch their tents around her;
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they shall pasture, each in his place.
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4. "Prepare war against her;
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arise, and let us attack at noon!
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Woe to us, for the day declines,
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for the shadows of evening lengthen!
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5. Arise, and let us attack by night
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and destroy her palaces!"
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6. For thus says the LORD of hosts:
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"Cut down her trees;
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cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem.
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This is the city that must be punished;
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there is nothing but oppression within her.
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7. As a well keeps its water fresh,
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so she keeps fresh her evil;
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violence and destruction are heard within her;
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sickness and wounds are ever before me.
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8. Be warned, O Jerusalem,
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lest I turn from you in disgust,
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lest I make you a desolation,
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an uninhabited land."
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9. Thus says the LORD of hosts:
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"They shall glean thoroughly as a vine
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the remnant of Israel;
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like a grape gatherer pass your hand again
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over its branches."
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10. To whom shall I speak and give warning,
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that they may hear?
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Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,
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they cannot listen;
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behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn;
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they take no pleasure in it.
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11. Therefore I am full of the wrath of the LORD;
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I am weary of holding it in.
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"Pour it out upon the children in the street,
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and upon the gatherings of young men, also;
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both husband and wife shall be taken,
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the elderly and the very aged.
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12. Their houses shall be turned over to others,
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their fields and wives together,
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for I will stretch out my hand
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against the inhabitants of the land,"
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declares the LORD.
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13. "For from the least to the greatest of them,
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everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
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and from prophet to priest,
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everyone deals falsely.
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14. They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
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saying, 'Peace, peace,'
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when there is no peace.
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15. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
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No, they were not at all ashamed;
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they did not know how to blush.
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Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
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at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,"
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says the LORD.
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16. Thus says the LORD:
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"Stand by the roads, and look,
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and ask for the ancient paths,
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where the good way is; and walk in it,
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and find rest for your souls.
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But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'
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17. I set watchmen over you, saying,
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'Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!'
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But they said, 'We will not pay attention.'
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18. Therefore hear, O nations,
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and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.
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19. Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,
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the fruit of their devices,
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because they have not paid attention to my words;
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and as for my law, they have rejected it.
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20. What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba,
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or sweet cane from a distant land?
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Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
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nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
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21. Therefore thus says the LORD:
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'Behold, I will lay before this people
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stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble;
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fathers and sons together,
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neighbor and friend shall perish.'"
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22. Thus says the LORD:
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"Behold, a people is coming from the north country,
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a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
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23. They lay hold on bow and javelin;
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they are cruel and have no mercy;
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the sound of them is like the roaring sea;
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they ride on horses,
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set in array as a man for battle,
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against you, O daughter of Zion!"
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24. We have heard the report of it;
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our hands fall helpless;
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anguish has taken hold of us,
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pain as of a woman in labor.
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25. Go not out into the field,
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nor walk on the road,
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for the enemy has a sword;
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terror is on every side.
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26. O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth,
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and roll in ashes;
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make mourning as for an only son,
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most bitter lamentation,
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for suddenly the destroyer
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will come upon us.
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27. "I have made you a tester of metals among my people,
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that you may know and test their ways.
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28. They are all stubbornly rebellious,
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going about with slanders;
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they are bronze and iron;
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all of them act corruptly.
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29. The bellows blow fiercely;
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the lead is consumed by the fire;
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in vain the refining goes on,
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for the wicked are not removed.
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30. Rejected silver they are called,
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for the LORD has rejected them."
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