Woe to the complacent

1Woe to you who are complacent in Zion,

and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,

you notable men of the foremost nation,

to whom the people of Israel come!

2Go to Kalneh and look at it;

go from there to great Hamath,

and then go down to Gath in Philistia.

Are they better off than your two kingdoms?

Is their land larger than yours?

3You put off the day of disaster

and bring near a reign of terror.

4You lie on beds adorned with ivory

and lounge on your couches.

You dine on choice lambs

and fattened calves.

5You strum away on your harps like David

and improvise on musical instruments.

6You drink wine by the bowlful

and use the finest lotions,

but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

7Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;

your feasting and lounging will end.

The Lord abhors the pride of Israel

8The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself – the Lord God Almighty declares:

‘I abhor the pride of Jacob

and detest his fortresses;

I will deliver up the city

and everything in it.’

9If ten people are left in one house, they too will die. 10And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honour of the dead asks anyone who might be hiding there, ‘Is anyone else with you?’ and he says, ‘No,’ then he will go on to say, ‘Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.’

11For the Lord has given the command,

and he will smash the great house into pieces

and the small house into bits.

12Do horses run on the rocky crags?

Does one plough the sea6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plough there with oxen?

But you have turned justice into poison

and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness –

13you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.

and say, ‘Did we not take Karnaim6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolises strength. by our own strength?’

14For the Lord God Almighty declares,

‘I will stir up a nation against you, Israel,

that will oppress you all the way

from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.’