The Hebrew Prophets

"Therefore you will have night, not vision, darkness and not divination; the sun will go down on the prophets, over them the day will be black."

The seers will be put to shame, the diviners will be disgraced. They will have to cover their mouths, because there will be no answer from God.

On the other hand, I am full of power by the Spirit of ADONAI, full of justice and full of might, to declare to Ya'akov his crime, to Isra'el his sin.

Hear this, please, leaders of the house of Ya'akov, rulers of the house of Isra'el, you who abhor what is just and pervert anything that is right,

who build up Tziyon with blood and Yerushalayim with wickedness.

Her leaders sell verdicts for bribes, her cohanim teach for a price, her prophets divine for money - yet they claim to rely on ADONAI! "Isn't ADONAI here with us?" they say. "No evil can come upon us."

Therefore, because of you, Tziyon will be plowed under like a field, Yerushalayim will become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house like a forested height.

But in the acharit-hayamim it will come about that the mountain of ADONAI's house will be established as the most important mountain. It will be regarded more highly than the other hills, and peoples will stream there.

Many Gentiles will go and say, "Come, let's go up to the mountain of ADONAI, to the house of the God of Ya'akov! He will teach us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For out of Tziyon will go forth Torah, the word of ADONAI from Yerushalayim.

He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for many nations far away. Then they will hammer their swords into plow-blades and their spears into pruning-knives; nations will not raise swords at each other, and they will no longer learn war.

Instead, each person will sit under his vine and fig tree, with no one to upset him, for the mouth of ADONAI-Tzva'ot has spoken.

For all the peoples will walk, each in the name of its god; but we will walk in the name of ADONAI our God forever and ever.

"When that day comes," says ADONAI, "I will assemble the lame and gather those who were dispersed, along with those I afflicted.

I will make the lame a remnant and those who were driven off a strong nation." ADONAI will rule them on Mount Tziyon from that time forth and forever.

You, tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Tziyon, to you your former sovereignty will return, the royal power of the daughter of Yerushalayim.

Why are you now crying out? Don't you have a king? Has your counselor been destroyed, that you are seized with pain like a woman in labor?

Be in pain! Work to give birth like a woman in labor, daughter of Tziyon! For now you will go out of the city and live in the wilds till you reach Bavel. There you will be rescued; there ADONAI will redeem you from the power of your enemies.

Now many nations have gathered against you; they say, "Let her be defiled, let's gloat over Tziyon."

But they don't know the thoughts of ADONAI, they don't understand his plan; for he has gathered them like sheaves on the threshing-floor.

Get up! Start threshing, daughter of Tziyon! "For I will make your horns like iron and your hoofs like bronze." You will crush many peoples and devote their plunder to ADONAI, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Now gather yourself in troops, you who are accustomed to being in troops; they have laid siege to us. They are striking the judge of Isra'el on the cheek with a stick.

But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.

Therefore he will give up [Isra'el] only until she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his kinsmen will return to the people of Isra'el.

He will stand and feed his flock in the strength of ADONAI, in the majesty of the name of ADONAI his God; and they will stay put, as he grows great to the very ends of the earth;

and this will be peace. If Ashur invades our land, if he overruns our fortresses, we will raise seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of men.