1 W oe to you who are at ease in Zion, And trust in Mount Samaria, Notable persons in the chief nation, To whom the house of Israel comes!

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those on the mountain of Samaria who are careless and feel secure, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!

2 G o over to Calneh and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory?

Pass over to Calneh and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or are their boundaries greater than your boundaries,

3 W oe to you who put far off the day of doom, Who cause the seat of violence to come near;

O you who put far away the evil day, yet cause the sitting of violence to come near?

4 W ho lie on beds of ivory, Stretch out on your couches, Eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall;

Woe to those who lie upon beds of ivory and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall,

5 W ho sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David;

Who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and invent for themselves instruments of music like David’s,

6 W ho drink wine from bowls, And anoint yourselves with the best ointments, But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

Who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved and sick at heart over the affliction and ruin of Joseph (Israel)!

7 T herefore they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, And those who recline at banquets shall be removed.

Therefore now shall they go captive with the first who go into exile, and the revelry and banqueting of those who stretch themselves shall be ended.

8 T he Lord God has sworn by Himself, The Lord God of hosts says: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, And hate his palaces; Therefore I will deliver up the city And all that is in it.”

The Lord God has sworn by Himself—the Lord, the God of hosts, says: I abhor, reject, and despise the pride and false, futile glory of Jacob (Israel), and I hate his palaces and strongholds; and I will deliver up the city with all that is in it.

9 T hen it shall come to pass, that if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.

And it shall come to pass that if there remain ten men in one house, they shall die.

10 A nd when a relative of the dead, with one who will burn the bodies, picks up the bodies to take them out of the house, he will say to one inside the house, “ Are there any more with you?” Then someone will say, “None.” And he will say, “Hold your tongue! For we dare not mention the name of the Lord.”

And then a man’s uncle or kinsman, he who is to make a burning to cremate and dispose, comes in to bring the bones out of the house, and he shall say to another still alive in the farthest parts of the house, Is there anyone else with you? and he shall say, No. Then shall the newcomer say, Hush! Hold your tongue! We dare not so mention the name of the Lord.

11 F or behold, the Lord gives a command: He will break the great house into bits, And the little house into pieces.

For behold, the Lord commands and He will smite the great house into ruins and the little house into fragments.

12 D o horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into gall, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,

Do horses run upon rocks? Do men plow the ocean with oxen? But you have turned justice into gall and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—

13 Y ou who rejoice over Lo Debar, Who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves By our own strength?”

You who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim or horns for ourselves?

14 “ But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” Says the Lord God of hosts; “And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath To the Valley of the Arabah.”

For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says the Lord, the God of hosts; and they shall afflict and oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.