11. You walk on poor people,forcing them to give you grain.You have built fancy houses of cut stone,but you will not live in them.You have planted beautiful vineyards,but you will not drink the wine from them.
12. I know your many crimes,your terrible sins.You hurt people who do right,you take money to do wrong,and you keep the poor from getting justice in court.
13. In such times the wise person will keep quiet,because it is a bad time.
14. Try to do good, not evil,so that you will live,and the Lord God All-Powerful will be with youjust as you say he is.
15. Hate evil and love good;be fair in the courts.Maybe the Lord God All-Powerful will be kindto the people of Joseph who are left alive.
16. This is what the Lord, the Lord God All-Powerful, says:“People will be crying in all the streets;they will be saying, ‘Oh, no!’ in the public places.They will call the farmers to come and weepand will pay people to cry out loud for them.
17. People will be crying in all the vineyards,because I will pass among you to punish you,” says the Lord.
18. How terrible it will be for you who wantthe Lord’s day of judging to come.Why do you want that day to come?It will bring darkness for you, not light.
19. It will be like someone who runs from a lionand meets a bear,or like someone who goes into his houseand puts his hand on the wall,and then is bitten by a snake.
20. So the Lord’s day of judging will bring darkness, not light;it will be very dark, not light at all.