The Hebrew Prophets

Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.

All of them come bent on violence; their hordes advance like the east wind; they gather prisoners like sand.

They scoff at kings and make rulers an object of scorn. They laugh at every fortress and build up siege ramps to seize it.

Then they sweep by like the wind and pass on through. They are guilty; their own strength is their god.”

Are You not from everlasting, O LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established them for correction.

Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

You have made men like the fish of the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler.

The foe pulls all of them up with a hook; he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his fishing net; so he rejoices gladly.

Therefore he sacrifices to his dragnet and burns incense to his fishing net, for by these things his portion is sumptuous and his food is rich.

Will he, therefore, empty his net and continue to slay nations without mercy?

I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the ramparts. I will watch to see what He will say to me, and how I should answer when corrected.

Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it.

For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.

Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright— but the righteous will live by faith—

and wealth indeed betrays him. He is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.

Will not all of these take up a taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’

Will not your creditors suddenly arise and those who disturb you awaken? Then you will become their prey.

Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you— because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.

Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster!

You have plotted shame for your house by cutting off many peoples and forfeiting your life.

For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.

Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!

Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!