The Hebrew Prophets

I was angry with my people, I desecrated my own possession and gave them over to you. But you showed them no mercy; you made your yoke very heavy, even upon the aged.

You said, 'I will be mistress forever.' so you didn't consider these things or think about the consequences.

Now hear this, you lover of luxuries, lolling at ease and saying to yourself, 'I am important, and no one else! I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.'

But both will come over you in an instant, in a single day loss of children and widowhood; they will utterly overwhelm you, despite your many occult practices and powerful spells to prevent it."

You were at ease in your wickedness, you thought, "No one sees me." Your "wisdom" and "knowledge" perverted you, as you thought to yourself, "I am important, and no one else."

Yet disaster will befall you, and you won't know how to charm it away; calamity will come upon you, and you won't be able to turn it aside; ruin will overcome you, suddenly, before you know it.

So for now, keep on with your powerful spells and your many occult practices; from childhood you have been working at them; maybe they will do you some good, maybe you will inspire terror!

You are worn out with all your consultations - so let the astrologers and stargazers, the monthly horoscope-makers, come forward now and save you from the things that will come upon you!

Look, they will be like straw! The fire will consume them. They will not save even themselves from the power of the flame. It will not be coals for warming oneself, not a fire to sit beside!

So much for your [wizards], with whom you have worked all your life! Each will wander off in his own direction, and nobody will save you.

Listen to this, house of Ya'akov, called by the name of Isra'el, who have come from the spring of Y'hudah, who swear by the name of ADONAI and invoke the God of Isra'el! - it is not sincerely or justifiably

that they call themselves people of the holy city or rely on the God of Isra'el - ADONAI-Tzva'ot is his name:

"I announced things that happened at the beginning, long ago; they issued from my mouth, I proclaimed them. Then suddenly I acted, and they occurred.

Because I knew that you were stubborn, your neck an iron sinew, your forehead bronze,

I announced it to you long ago; before it occurred, I proclaimed it to you; so that you could not say, 'My idol did it; my carved image, my statue, gave the order for it.'

You have heard and seen all this, so why won't you admit it? "Now I am announcing new things to you, secret things you have not known,

created now, not long ago; before today, you did not hear them: so you can't say, 'I already know about them.'

No, you haven't heard, and you haven't known; these things have not reached your ears before. For I knew how treacherous you were - you were called a rebel from the womb.

Yet for the sake of my own reputation I am deferring my anger; for the sake of my praise I am patient with you, so as not to cut you off.

"Look, I have refined you, but not [as severely] as silver; [rather] I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

For my sake I will do it, for my own sake. I will not let [my reputation] be tarnished; I will not yield my glory to anyone else.

"Listen to me, Ya'akov; Isra'el, whom I have called: I am he who is first; I am also the last.

My hand laid the foundation of the earth, my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summoned them, at once they rose into being.

"All of you, assemble and listen: which of you has foretold what is coming? ADONAI's friend will do his will against Bavel, using his arm against the Kasdim.

It is I who have spoken, I have summoned him, I have brought him, and he will succeed.