12. They have lied about the Lord,And said, “It is not He.Neither will evil come upon us,Nor shall we see sword or famine.
13. And the prophets become wind,For the word is not in them.Thus shall it be done to them.”
14. Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts:“Because you speak this word,Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire,And this people wood,And it shall devour them.
15. Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar,O house of Israel,” says the Lord.“It is a mighty 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 men.
17. And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread,Which your sons and daughters should eat.They shall eat up your flocks and your herds;They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;They shall destroy your fortified cities,In which you trust, with the sword.
18. “Nevertheless in those days,” says the Lord, “I will not make a complete end of you.
19. And it will be when you say, ‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?’ then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.’
20. “Declare this in the house of JacobAnd proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21. ‘Hear this now, O foolish people,Without understanding,Who have eyes and see not,And who have ears and hear not:
22. Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord.‘Will you not tremble at My presence,Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea,By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?And though its waves toss to and fro,Yet they cannot prevail;Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
23. But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;They have revolted and departed.
24. They do not say in their heart,“Let us now fear the Lord our God,Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season.He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”