242 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
242 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
A Message about Samaria
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# Chapter 28
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1. What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria--
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the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel.
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It sits at the head of a fertile valley,
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but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower.
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It is the pride of a people
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brought down by wine.
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2. For the Lord will send a mighty army against it.
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Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain,
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they will burst upon it like a surging flood
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and smash it to the ground.
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3. The proud city of Samaria--
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the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel--
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will be trampled beneath its enemies' feet.
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4.
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It sits at the head of a fertile valley,
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but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower.
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Whoever sees it will snatch it up,
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as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten.
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5. Then at last the LORD of Heaven's Armies
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will himself be Israel's glorious crown.
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He will be the pride and joy
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of the remnant of his people.
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6. He will give a longing for justice
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to their judges.
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He will give great courage
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to their warriors who stand at the gates.
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7. Now, however, Israel is led by drunks
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who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol.
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The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol
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and lose themselves in wine.
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They reel when they see visions
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and stagger as they render decisions.
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8. Their tables are covered with vomit;
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filth is everywhere.
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9. "Who does the LORD think we are?" they ask.
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"Why does he speak to us like this?
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Are we little children,
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just recently weaned?
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10. He tells us everything over and over--
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one line at a time,
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one line at a time,
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a little here,
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and a little there!"
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11. So now God will have to speak to his people
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through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!
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12. God has told his people,
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"Here is a place of rest;
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let the weary rest here.
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This is a place of quiet rest."
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But they would not listen.
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13. So the LORD will spell out his message for them again,
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one line at a time,
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one line at a time,
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a little here,
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and a little there,
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so that they will stumble and fall.
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They will be injured, trapped, and captured.
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14. Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD,
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you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.
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15. You boast, "We have struck a bargain to cheat death
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and have made a deal to dodge the grave.
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The coming destruction can never touch us,
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for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception."
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16. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
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"Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,
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a firm and tested stone.
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It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
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Whoever believes need never be shaken.
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17. I will test you with the measuring line of justice
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and the plumb line of righteousness.
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Since your refuge is made of lies,
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a hailstorm will knock it down.
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Since it is made of deception,
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a flood will sweep it away.
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18. I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death,
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and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave.
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When the terrible enemy sweeps through,
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you will be trampled into the ground.
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19. Again and again that flood will come,
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morning after morning,
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day and night,
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until you are carried away."
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This message will bring terror to your people.
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20. The bed you have made is too short to lie on.
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The blankets are too narrow to cover you.
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21. The LORD will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim
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and against the Amorites at Gibeon.
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He will come to do a strange thing;
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he will come to do an unusual deed:
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22. For the Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies,
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has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land.
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So scoff no more,
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or your punishment will be even greater.
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23. Listen to me;
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listen, and pay close attention.
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24. Does a farmer always plow and never sow?
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Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?
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25. Does he not finally plant his seeds--
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black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat--
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each in its proper way,
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and each in its proper place?
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26. The farmer knows just what to do,
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for God has given him understanding.
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27. A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin;
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rather, it is beaten with a light stick.
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A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin;
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instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.
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28. Grain for bread is easily crushed,
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so he doesn't keep on pounding it.
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He threshes it under the wheels of a cart,
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but he doesn't pulverize it.
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29. The LORD of Heaven's Armies is a wonderful teacher,
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and he gives the farmer great wisdom.
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