1. Woe to them that set at nought Sion, and that trust in the mountain of Samaria: they have gathered the harvest of the heads of the nations, and they have gone in themselves.
2. O house of Israel, pass by all of you, and see; and pass by thence to Ematrabba; and thence descend to Geth of the Philistines, the chief of all these kingdoms, see if their coasts are greater than your coasts.
3. Ye who are approaching the evil day, who are drawing near and adopting false sabbaths;
4. who sleep upon beds of ivory, and live delicately on their couches, and eat kids out of the flocks, and sucking calves out of the midst of the stalls;
5. who [Alex. epikrotountev, «applauding’] excel in the sound of musical instruments; they have regarded them as abiding, not as fleeting pleasures;
6. who drink strained wine, and anoint themselves with the best ointment; and have suffered nothing on occasion of the calamity of Joseph.
7. Therefore now shall they depart into captivity from the dominion of princes, and the neighing of horses shall be cut off from Ephraim.
8. For the Lord has sworn by himself, saying, Because I abhor all the pride of Jacob, I do also hate his countries, and I will cut off his city with all who inhabit it.
9. And it shall come to pass, if there be ten men left in one house, that they shall die.
10. But [Gr. the remaining ones] a remnant shall be left behind, and their relations shall take them, and shall strenuously endeavor to carry forth their bones from the house: and one shall say to the heads of the house, Is there yet any one else with thee?
11. And he shall say, No one else. And the other shall say, Be silent, that thou name not the name of the Lord.
12. For, behold, the Lord commands, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with rents.
13. Will horses run upon rocks? will they refrain from neighing at mares? for ye have turned judgement into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness:
14. ye who rejoice at [Lit. no word] vanity, who say, Have we not possessed horns by our own strength?
15. For behold, O house of Israel, I will raise up against you a nation, saith the Lord of hosts; and they shall afflict you so that ye shall not enter into Æmath, and as it were from the river of the [Gr. sunsets] wilderness.