Study Desk

All of her idols will be crushed, All of her earnings will be burned with fire, And all of her images I will make desolate; For she collected them from a prostitute's earnings, And to the earnings of a prostitute they will return.

For her wound is incurable, For it has come to Judah; It has reached the gate of my people, Even to Jerusalem.

For the inhabitant of Maroth Waits for something good, Because a disaster has come down from the LORD To the gate of Jerusalem.

Shave yourself bald, yes, cut off your hair, Because of the children of your delight; Extend your baldness like the eagle, For they will go from you into exile.

Therefore this is what the LORD says: "Behold, I am planning against this family a catastrophe From which you cannot remove your necks; And you will not walk haughtily, For it will be an evil time.

"Therefore you will have no one applying a measuring line For you by lot in the assembly of the LORD.

"Is it being said, house of Jacob: 'Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient? Are these His works?' Do My words not do good For the one walking rightly?

"Arise and go, For this is no place of rest Because of the uncleanness that brings on destruction, A painful destruction.

And I said, "Hear now, you leaders of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?

Who eat the flesh of my people, Strip off their skin from them, Smash their bones, And chop them up as for the pot, And as meat in a cauldron!"

Therefore it will be night for you—without vision, And darkness for you—without divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, And the day will become dark over them.

Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD not in our midst? Catastrophe will not come upon us."

Many nations will come and say, "Come and let's go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, So that He may teach us about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift a sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.

Though all the peoples walk, Each in the name of his god, As for us, we will walk In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

"As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come— Yes, the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

"Writhe and scream, Daughter of Zion, Like a woman in childbirth; For now you will go out of the city, Live in the field, And go to Babylon. There you will be rescued, There the LORD will redeem you From the hand of your enemies.

"But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, And they do not understand His plan; For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

"Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion, For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hoofs bronze, So that you may pulverize many peoples, And dedicate to the LORD their unjust profit, And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."