| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, And trust in Mount Samaria, Notable persons in the chief nation, To whom the house of Israel comes! | 1Woe to those who live in ease in Zion, to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria. They think of themselves as the elite class of the best nation. The family of Israel looks to them for leadership. |
| 2Go over to Calneh and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory? | 2They say to the people: "Journey over to Calneh and look at it! Then go from there to Hamath-Rabbah! Then go down to Gath of the Philistines! Are they superior to our two kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?" |
| 3Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, Who cause the seat of violence to come near; | 3You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, but you establish a reign of violence. |
| 4Who lie on beds of ivory, Stretch out on your couches, Eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall; | 4They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, and sprawl out on their couches. They eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the middle of the pen. |
| 5Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; | 5They sing to the tune of stringed instruments; like David they invent musical instruments. |
| 6Who drink wine from bowls, And anoint yourselves with the best ointments, But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. | 6They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, and pour the very best oils on themselves. Yet they are not concerned over the ruin of Joseph. |
| 7Therefore they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, And those who recline at banquets shall be removed. | 7Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, and the religious banquets where they sprawl on couches will end. |
| 8The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself, The LORD God of hosts says: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, And hate his palaces; Therefore I will deliver up the city And all that is in it.” | 8The sovereign LORD confirms this oath by his very own life. The LORD, the God who commands armies, is speaking: "I despise Jacob's arrogance; I hate their fortresses. I will hand over to their enemies the city of Samaria and everything in it." |
| 9Then it shall come to pass, that if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. | 9If ten men are left in one house, they too will die. |
| 10And when a relative of the dead, with one who will burn the bodies, picks up the bodies to take them out of the house, he will say to one inside the house, “Are there any more with you?” Then someone will say, “None.” And he will say, “Hold your tongue! For we dare not mention the name of the LORD.” | 10When their close relatives, the ones who will burn the corpses, pick up their bodies to remove the bones from the house, they will say to anyone who is in the inner rooms of the house, "Is anyone else with you?" He will respond, "Be quiet! Don't invoke the LORD's name!" |
| 11For behold, the LORD gives a command: He will break the great house into bits, And the little house into pieces. | 11Indeed, look! The LORD is giving the command. He will smash the large house to bits, and the small house into little pieces. |
| 12Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into gall, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood, | 12Can horses run on rocky cliffs? Can one plow the sea with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into a poisonous plant, and the fruit of righteous actions into a bitter plant. |
| 13You who rejoice over Lo Debar, Who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves By our own strength?” | 13You are happy because you conquered Lo-Debar. You say, "Did we not conquer Karnaim by our own power?" |
| 14“But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” Says the LORD God of hosts; “And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath To the Valley of the Arabah.” | 14"Look! I am about to bring a nation against you, family of Israel." The LORD, the God who commands armies, is speaking. "They will oppress you all the way from Lebo-Hamath to the Stream of the Arabah." |
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