Chapter 2
1 Yahweh says : " For three transgressions of Moab , yes, for four , I will not turn away its punishment, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime ;
2 but I will send a fire on Moab , and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth ; and Moab will die with tumult , with shouting , and with the sound of the trumpet ;
3 and I will cut off the judge from among them , and will kill all its princes with him ," says Yahweh .
4 Yahweh says : " For three transgressions of Judah , yes, for four , I will not turn away its punishment, because they have rejected Yahweh ’s law , and have not kept his statutes , and their lies have led them astray , after which their fathers walked ;
5 but I will send a fire on Judah , and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem ."
6 Yahweh says : " For three transgressions of Israel , yes, for four , I will not turn away its punishment, because they have sold the righteous for silver , and the needy for a pair of sandals ;
7 They trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth and deny justice to the oppressed. A man and his father use the same maiden , to profane my holy name .
8 They lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge . In the house of their God " (Elohim). they drink the wine of those who have been fined .
9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them , whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above , and his roots from beneath .
10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness , to possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons for prophets , and some of your young men for Nazirites . Isn’t this true , you children of Israel ?" says Yahweh .
12 " But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink , and commanded the prophets , saying, ‘Don’t prophesy !’
13 Behold , ", means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection. I will crush you in your place , as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
14 Flight will perish from the swift . The strong won’t strengthen his force . The mighty won’t deliver himself .
15 He who handles the bow won’t stand . He who is swift of foot won’t escape . He who rides the horse won’t deliver himself .
16 He who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day ," says Yahweh .