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“But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
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“Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
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The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life.
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The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.
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Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.
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Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:
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“You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”
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Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?
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Does 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?
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When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?
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Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
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The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken— who can but prophesy?
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Proclaim 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.”
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“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted.”
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Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “An enemy will overrun your land, pull down your strongholds and plunder your fortresses.”
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This 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 fabric from a couch.”
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“Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
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“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.
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I 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.
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Israel Has Not Returned to God
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”
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The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: “The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.
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You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon,” declares the Lord.
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“Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years.
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Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
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“I gave you empty stomachs in every city and lack of bread in every town, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the Lord.
