<p class="poetry">I looked at the mountains and saw that they were shaking.p> <p class="poetry">All the hills were swaying back and forth!p>

<p class="poetry">I looked and saw that there were no more people,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and that all the birds in the sky had flown away.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I looked at the land and saw<n id="1" /> that it was an empty wasteland.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.p>

<p class="poetry">I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desertp> <p class="poetry">and that all of the cities had been laid in ruins.p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> had brought this all aboutp> <p class="poetry">because of his blazing anger.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> says,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I saw the prophets of Samaria<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">doing something that was disgusting.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They prophesied in the name of the god Baalp> <p class="poetry">and led my people Israel astray.<n id="4" />p>

Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own<n id="1" /> is to be a hideout for robbers?<n id="2" /> You had better take note!<n id="3" /> I have seen for myself what you have done! says the <sc>Lordsc>.

<p class="poetry">People of Jerusalem,<n id="1" /> I have seen your adulterous worship,p> <p class="poetry">your shameless prostitution to, and your lustful pursuit of, other gods.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I have seen your disgusting acts of worship<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">on the hills throughout the countryside.p> <p class="poetry">You are doomed to destruction!<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">How long will you continue to be unclean?&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Ask yourselves this and consider it carefully:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Have you ever seen a man give birth to a baby?p> <p class="poetry">Why then do I see all these strong menp> <p class="poetry">grabbing their stomachs in pain like<n id="2" /> a woman giving birth?p> <p class="poetry">And why do their facesp> <p class="poetry">turn so deathly pale?p>

<p class="poetry">What do I see?&#8221;<n id="1" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The soldiers<n id="3" /> are terrified.p> <p class="poetry">They are retreating.p> <p class="poetry">They have been defeated.p> <p class="poetry">They are overcome with terror;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">they desert quicklyp> <p class="poetry">without looking back.p>

<p class="poetry">But I see the prophets of Jerusalem<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">doing something just as shocking.p> <p class="poetry">They are unfaithful to mep> <p class="poetry">and continually prophesy lies.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil,p> <p class="poetry">with the result that they do not stop their evildoing.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom,p> <p class="poetry">and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.<n id="4" />p>