I will send famine and wild beasts against you and they will take your children from you.<n id="1" /> Plague and bloodshed will overwhelm you,<n id="2" /> and I will bring a sword against you. I, the <sc>Lord,sc> have spoken!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">While I listened, he said to the others,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Go through the city after him and strike people down; do no let your eye pity nor spare<n id="2" /> anyone!

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Or suppose I were to bring a sword against that land and say, &#8216;Let a sword pass through the land,&#8217; and I were to kill both people and animals.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, &#8220;Live!&#8221; I said to you as you lay there in your blood, &#8220;Live!&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty<n id="1" /> became his.

At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced<n id="1" /> your beauty when you spread<n id="2" /> your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity.

I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices<n id="1" /> &#8211; they caused all their first born to pass through the fire<n id="2" /> &#8211; so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me,<n id="1" /> they have passed through the fire as food to their idols.<n id="2" />

I will turn the land into a desolate ruin; her confident pride will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be so desolate no one will pass through them.

He made me walk all around among them.<n id="1" /> I realized<n id="2" /> there were a great many bones in the valley and they were very dry.

<p class="bodytext">Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me past the four corners of the court, and I noticed<n id="1" /> that in every corner of the court there was a court.

His sons<n id="1" /> will wage war, mustering a large army which will advance like an overflowing river and carrying the battle all the way to the enemy&#8217;s<n id="2" /> fortress.<n id="3" />p>

There will arise after him<n id="1" /> one<n id="2" /> who will send out an exactor<n id="3" /> of tribute to enhance the splendor of the kingdom, but after a few days he will be destroyed,<n id="4" /> though not in anger or battle.p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;At the time of the end the king of the south will attack<n id="1" /> him. Then the king of the north will storm against him<n id="2" /> with chariots, horsemen, and a large armada of ships.<n id="3" /> He<n id="4" /> will invade lands, passing through them like an overflowing river.<n id="5" />

<t /><p class="poetry">Sound the alarm!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">An eagle<n id="2" /> looms over the temple of the <sc>Lordsc>!p> <p class="poetry">For they have broken their covenant with me,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and have rebelled against my law.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Ephraim was a well-trained heifer who loved to thresh grain;p> <p class="poetry">I myself put a fine yoke<n id="1" />on her neck.p> <p class="poetry">I will harness Ephraim.p> <p class="poetry">Let Judah plow!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Let Jacob break up<n id="3" /> the unplowed ground for himself!p>

<t /><p class="poetry">You will be convinced<n id="1" /> that I the <sc>Lordsc> am your God,p> <p class="poetry">dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain.p> <p class="poetry">Jerusalem<n id="2" /> will be holy &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">conquering armies<n id="3" /> will no longer pass through it.p>

<p class="poetry">They say to the people:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Journey over to Calneh and look at it!p> <p class="poetry">Then go from there to Hamath-Rabbah!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Then go down to Gath of the Philistines!p> <p class="poetry">Are they superior to our two<n id="3" /> kingdoms?p> <p class="poetry">Is their territory larger than yours?&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">You say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;When will the new moon festival<n id="1" /> be over,<n id="2" /> so we can sell grain?p> <p class="poetry">When will the Sabbath end,<n id="3" /> so we can open up the grain bins?<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">We&#8217;re eager<n id="5" /> to sell less for a higher price,<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales!<n id="7" />p>

When the news<n id="1" /> reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes.