1. This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is where I rest my feet. So do you think you can build a house for me? Do I need a place to rest?
2. I am the one who made all things. They are all here because I made them,” says the Lord. “These are the people I care for: the poor, humble people who obey my commands.
3. Some people kill bulls as a sacrifice, but they also beat people. They kill sheep as a sacrifice, but they also break the necks of dogs. They offer up grain offerings, but they also offer the blood of pigs. They burn incense, but they also love their worthless idols. They choose their own ways, and they love their terrible idols.
4. So I decided to use their own tricks. I will punish them using what they are most afraid of. I will do this because I called to them, but they did not answer. I spoke to them, but they did not listen. They did what I said is evil. They chose to do what I did not like.”
5. You who obey the Lord’S commands, listen to what he says: “Your brothers hated you. They turned against you because you followed me. Your brothers said, ‘When the Lord shows his glory, then we will rejoice with you.’ But they will be punished.”
6. Listen! There is a loud noise coming from the city and from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies. He is giving them the punishment they deserve.
7-8. “A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain. A woman must feel the pain of childbirth before she can see the boy she gives birth to. Who ever heard of such a thing? In the same way, no one ever saw a new world begin in one day. No one has ever heard of a new nation that began in one day. But when Zion feels the pain, she will give birth to her children.