7. “How can I pardon you?Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores.
8. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.
9. Shall I not punish them for these things?declares the Lord;and shall I not avenge myselfon a nation such as this?
10. “Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but make not a full end;strip away her branches,for they are not the Lord’s.
11. For the house of Israel and the house of Judahhave been utterly treacherous to me,declares the Lord.
12. They have spoken falsely of the Lordand have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.
13. The prophets will become wind;the word is not in them.Thus shall it be done to them!’”
14. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts:“Because you have spoken this word,behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire,and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.
15. Behold, I am bringing against youa nation from afar, O house of Israel,declares the Lord.It is an enduring nation;it is an ancient nation,a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.
16. Their quiver is like an open tomb;they are all mighty warriors.
17. They shall eat up your harvest and your food;they shall eat up your sons and your daughters;they shall eat up your flocks and your herds;they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;your fortified cities in which you trustthey shall beat down with the sword.”
18. “But even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make a full end of you.
19. And when your people say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”