1 Woe vnto them, that imagine iniquitie, and worke wickednesse vpon their beddes: when the morning is light they practise it because their hande hath power. 2 And they couet fields, and take them by violence, and houses, and take them away: so they oppresse a man and his house, euen man and his heritage. 3 Therefore thus saieth the Lord, Beholde, against this familie haue I deuised a plague, whereout yee shall not plucke your neckes, and ye shall not go so proudly, for this time is euill. 4 In that daye shall they take vp a parable against you, and lament with a dolefull lamentation, and say, We be vtterly wasted: hee hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he taken it away to restore it vnto mee? he hath deuided our fieldes. 5 Therefore thou shalt haue none that shall cast a corde by lot in the Congregation of the Lord. 6 They that prophecied, Prophecie ye not. They shall not prophecie to them, neither shall they take shame. 7 O thou that art named of the house of Iaakob, is the Spirite of the Lord shortened? are these his workes? are not my wordes good vnto him that walketh vprightly? 8 But hee that was yesterday my people, is risen vp on the other side, as against an enemie: they spoyle the beautifull garment from them that passe by peaceably, as though they returned from the warre. 9 The women of my people haue ye cast out from their pleasant houses, and from their childre haue ye taken away my glorie continually. 10 Arise and depart, for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, euen with a sore destruction. 11 If a man walke in the Spirit, and would lie falsely, saying, I wil prophecie vnto thee of wine, and of strong drinke, he shall euen be the prophet of this people. 12 I will surely gather thee wholy, O Iaakob: I will surely gather the remnant of Israel: I will put them together as the sheepe of Bozrah, euen as the flocke in the mids of their folde: the cities shall be full of brute of the men. 13 The breaker vp shall come vp before them: they shall breake out, and passe by the gate, and goe out by it, and their King shall goe before them, and the Lord shalbe vpon their heades.
The Fate of Those Who Oppress the Poor
1 How terrible it will be for those who lie awake and plan evil! When morning comes, as soon as they have the chance, they do the evil they planned. 2 When they want fields, they seize them; when they want houses, they take them. No one's family or property is safe.
3 And so the Lord says, “I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble, and then you will not walk so proudly any more. 4 When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will sing this song of despair about your experience:
We are completely ruined!
The Lord has taken our land away
And given it to those who took us captive.”
5 So then, when the time comes for the land to be given back to the Lord's people, there will be no share for any of you.
6 The people preach at me and say, “Don't preach at us. Don't preach about all that. God is not going to disgrace us. 7 Do you think the people of Israel are under a curse? Has the Lord lost his patience? Would he really do such things? Doesn't he speak kindly to those who do right?”
8 The Lord replies, “You attack my people like enemies. Men return from battle, thinking they are safe at home, but there you are, waiting to steal the coats off their backs. 9 You drive the women of my people out of the homes they love, and you have robbed their children of my blessings forever. 10 Get up and go; there is no safety here any more. Your sins have doomed this place to destruction.
11 “These people want the kind of prophet who goes around full of lies and deceit and says, ‘I prophesy that wine and liquor will flow for you.’
12 “But I will gather you together, all you people of Israel that are left. I will bring you together like sheep returning to the fold. Like a pasture full of sheep, your land will once again be filled with many people.”
13 God will open the way for them and lead them out of exile. They will break out of the city gates and go free. Their king, the Lord himself, will lead them out.