The LORD's Wrath upon the Nations

34¹ Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it! ² The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy[1] them, he will give them over to slaughter. ³ Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will stink; the mountains will be soaked with their blood. ⁴ All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. ⁵ My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed. ⁶ The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat- the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. ⁷ And the wild oxen will fall with them, the bull calves and the great bulls. Their land will be drenched with blood, and the dust will be soaked with fat. ⁸ For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause.

⁹ Edom's streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! ¹⁰ It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. ¹¹ The desert owl[2] and screech owl[2] will possess it; the great owl[2] and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation. ¹² Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away. ¹³ Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls. ¹⁴ Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves places of rest. ¹⁵ The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate. ¹⁶ Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together. ¹⁷ He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it forever and dwell there from generation to generation.

The LORD's Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

3¹ See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water, ² the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, ³ the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter. ⁴ "I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them." ⁵ People will oppress each other- man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored. ⁶ A man will seize one of his brothers in his father's house, and say, "You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!" ⁷ But in that day he will cry out, "I have no remedy. I have no food or clothing in my house; do not make me the leader of the people." ⁸ Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence.

⁹ The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. ¹⁰ Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. ¹¹ Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done. ¹² Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. My people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path. ¹³ The Lord takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. ¹⁴ The Lord enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: "It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. ¹⁵ What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

Judgment on the Daughters of Zion

¹⁶ The Lord says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, strutting along with swaying hips, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. ¹⁷ Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will make their scalps bald." ¹⁸ In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, ¹⁹ the earrings and bracelets and veils, ²⁰ the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, ²¹ the signet rings and nose rings, ²² the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses ²³ and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. ²⁴ Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. ²⁵ Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle. ²⁶ The gates of Zion will lament and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.