1. Then the word of the Lord came to me.
2. He said, “Now, son of man, here is a message from the Lord GOD. This message is for the land of Israel: “The end! The end is coming. The whole country will be destroyed.
3. Your end is coming now! I will show how angry I am with you. I will punish you for the evil things you did. I will make you pay for all the terrible things you did.
4. I will not show you any mercy or feel sorry for you. I am punishing you for the evil things you did. You have done such terrible things. Now, you will know that I am the Lord.”
5. This is what the Lord GOD said: “There will be one disaster after another!
6. The end is coming, and it will come quickly!
7. You people living in Israel, disaster is coming. It is time for punishment. Those are not shouts of joy in the mountains. Those are cries of panic.
8. Very soon now, I will show you how angry I am. I will show all of my anger against you. I will punish you for the evil things you did. I will make you pay for all the terrible things you did.
9. I will not show you any mercy or feel sorry for you. I am punishing you for the evil things you did. You have done such terrible things. Now, you will know that I am the Lord.
10. “That time of punishment has come like a plant sprouting, budding, and flowering. God has given the signal, the enemy is prepared, and their proud king is ready.
11. This violent man is ready to punish the evil people. There are many people in Israel—but he is not one of them. He is not a person in that crowd. He is not some important leader from them.
12. “The time of punishment has come. The day is here. Those who buy things will not be happy, and those who sell things will not feel bad about selling them because that terrible punishment will happen to everyone.
13. The people who sold their property will never go back to it. Even if some people escape alive, they will never go back to their property, because this vision is for the whole crowd. So even if some people escape alive, it will not make everyone feel better.