4  “I will stretch out my hand against Judah

and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal

and the name of the ^cidolatrous priests along with the priests,

5  those who bow down ^don the roofs

to the ^ehost of the heavens,

those who bow down and swear to the Lord

and yet swear by ^fMilcom,¹

6  those who have ^gturned back from following the Lord,

who do not ^hseek the Lord or inquire of him.”

7  ⁱBe silent before the Lord God!

For the ^jday of the Lord is near;

^kthe Lord has prepared a sacrifice

and ^lconsecrated his guests.

8  And on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice—

“I will punish the officials and the king’s sons

and all who array themselves in foreign attire.

9  On that day I will punish

everyone who ^mleaps over the threshold,

and those who fill their master’s² house

with violence and fraud.

10  “On that day,” declares the Lord,

“a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,

a wail from the Second Quarter,

a loud crash from the hills.

11  Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar!

For all the traders³ are no more;

all who weigh out silver are cut off.

12  At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,

and I will punish the men

who are complacent,⁴

those who say in their hearts,

ⁿ‘The Lord will not do good,

nor will he do ill.’

13  Their goods shall be plundered,

and their houses laid waste.

^oThough they build houses,

they shall not inhabit them;

though they plant vineyards,

they shall not drink wine from them.”

14  The great day of the Lord is near,

near and hastening fast;

the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;

the mighty man cries aloud there.

15  A day of wrath is that day,

a day of distress and anguish,

a day of ruin and devastation,

^pa day of darkness and gloom,

^qa day of clouds and thick darkness,

16  a day of trumpet blast and battle cry

against the fortified cities

and against the lofty battlements.

1  Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled,

the ^koppressing city!

2  She listens to no voice;

she ^laccepts no correction.

She does not trust in the Lord;

she does not draw near to her God.

3  Her officials within her

are roaring lions;

her judges are ^mevening wolves

that leave nothing till the morning.

4  Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;

her priests ⁿprofane what is holy;

they do violence to the law.

5  The Lord within her is righteous;

^ohe does no injustice;

every morning he shows forth his justice;

each dawn he does not fail;

but the unjust knows no shame.

6  “I have cut off nations;

their battlements are in ruins;

I have laid waste their streets

so that no one walks in them;

their cities have been made desolate,

without a man, ^pwithout an inhabitant.

7  I said, ‘Surely you will fear me;

you will accept correction.

Then your¹ dwelling would not be cut off

according to all that I have appointed against you.’²

But all the more they were eager

to make all their deeds corrupt.