Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
1Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:
2“You only have I chosen
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your sins.”
3Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4Does a lion roar in the thicket
when it has no prey?
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no bait is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
6When a trumpet sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disaster comes to a city,
has not the Lord caused it?
7Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.
8The lion has roared—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?
9Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people.”
10“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
“who store up in their fortresses
what they have plundered and looted.”
11Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.”
12This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. from a couch.3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.”
13“Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
14“On the day I punish Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;
the horns of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15I will tear down the winter house
along with the summer house;
the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed
and the mansions will be demolished,”
declares the Lord.
责备以色列人
1“以色列人啊，
要听耶和华责备你们的话，
责备我从埃及领出来的整个民族的话，
2‘世上万族之中，我只拣选了你们，
所以我要因你们的罪恶而惩罚你们。’”
3若非相约，
二人怎会同行呢？
4若非捕到猎物，
狮子怎会在林中咆哮呢？
若非猎获食物，
猛狮怎会在洞中吼叫呢？
5若非设下诱饵，
鸟儿怎会落入圈套？
若非捕获什么，
圈套怎会收起来？
6若城中响起号角，
居民岂不恐惧颤抖？
若灾祸降临城中，
岂不是耶和华的作为？
7的确，主耶和华不向祂的仆人——众先知显明祂的计划，
就不会采取任何行动。
8狮子吼叫，谁不惧怕呢？
主耶和华已发言，谁能不传讲呢？
9要向亚实突和埃及的城堡宣告：
“你们要聚集到撒玛利亚的山上，
看看城中的混乱和暴虐之事。
10他们不知正道，强取豪夺，
把掳物囤积在他们的城堡中。
这是耶和华说的。”
11所以，主耶和华说：
“敌人要围攻此地，
攻破你们的防守，
抢掠你们的城堡。”
12耶和华说：
“牧人从狮口中救羊，
只能夺回两条腿和一块耳朵。
同样，住在撒玛利亚的以色列人被救回的时候，
也仅剩一角床榻和一片卧椅。”
13主——万军之上帝耶和华说：
“你们要听这话，去警告雅各家。
14我追讨以色列人的罪时，
要摧毁伯特利的祭坛，
将祭坛的角砍落在地。
15我要拆毁过冬和避暑的房屋，
破坏象牙装饰的宫殿，
推倒许多宏伟的楼宇。
这是耶和华说的。”
