Chapter 4

1. Hear this word, you lazy cows

who have fattened themselves with lives of leisure, 

who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, 

who say to their husbands and lovers, 

“Let’s get drunk and have fun” 

2. The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: 

The time is surely coming upon you too, 

when they shall take you away in handcuffs, 

even the last of you will rot in jail. 

3. They will march you out the front door of your building, 

each one straight ahead; 

and even those who avoid prison will die on the streets,

says the Lord. 

4. Come to church on Sunday and sin; 

to your choir rehearsal and sin boldly; 

say your prayers every morning, 

give your tithe every Sunday morning; 

5. bring your donation to your favorite charities , 

and make sure to post a selfie while you do it,

make it public; 

for so you love to do, O American hypocrites! 

says the Lord God. 

6.  I let your economic system crash, 

as a result of your lust for wealth, 

yet you did not change your ways, 

says the Lord. 

7. And I also allowed your greed to poison the Earth that formed you, 

One city is washed away by floods, 

and another city is ravaged by drought; 

mudslides make entire cities uninhabitable, 

and wildfires swallow entire communities; 

8. New Orleans, New Jersey, California, Florida, and Puerto Rico 

All declare states of emergency and demand aid.

They drain your reserves, but it is never enough; 

yet you did not return to me,

you did not stop destroying the Earth 

says the Lord. 

9. I allowed invasive species and erratic weather to decimate your crops; 

I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards; 

the lanternfly and the ash borer devoured your fruit trees; 

yet you did not return to me, 

says the Lord. 

10. I allowed preventable disease to spread 

like the plagues of Egypt; 

your young men were slaughtered 

in preventable wars; 

your resources were wasted 

on bullets and bombs;

and I made the stench of your blood 

go up into your nostrils;

televising and live-streaming your crimes of war, 

yet you did not return to me, 

says the Lord. 

11. I overthrew some of you, 

as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, 

and you were saved by the skin of your teeth; 

yet you did not return to me, 

says the Lord. 

12. Therefore thus I will do to you, O America; 

because I will do this to you, 

prepare to meet your God! 

13. For lo, the one who forms the mountains, 

creates the wind, 

reveals his thoughts to mortals, 

makes the morning darkness, 

and treads on the heights of the earth

the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!