The Israelites by their crying injustices provoke God to punish them. He
shall at last restore Jacob.
2:1. Woe to you that devise that which is unprofitable, and work evil in
your beds: in the morning light they execute it, because their hand is
against God.
2:2. And they have coveted fields, and taken them by violence, and
houses they have forcibly taken away: and oppressed a man and his house,
a man and his inheritance.
2:3. Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold I devise an evil against this
family: from which you shall not withdraw your necks, and you shall not
walk haughtily, for this is a very evil time.
2:4. In that day a parable shall be taken up upon you, and a song shall
be sung with melody by them that say: We are laid waste and spoiled: the
portion of my people is changed: how shall he depart from me, whereas he
is returning that will divide our land?
How shall he depart, etc... How do you pretend to say that the Assyrian
is departing; when indeed he is coming to divide our lands amongst his
subjects?
2:5. Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast the cord of a lot in
the assembly of the Lord.
Thou shalt have none, etc... Thou shalt have no longer any lot or
inheritance in the land of the people of the Lord.
2:6. Speak ye not, saying: It shall not drop upon these, confusion shall
not take them.
It shall not drop, etc... That is, the prophecy shall not come upon
these. Such were the sentiments of the people that were unwilling to
believe the threats of the prophets.
2:7. The house of Jacob saith: Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened or
are these his thoughts? Are not my words good to him that walketh
uprightly?
2:8. But my people, on the contrary, are risen up as an enemy: you have
taken away the cloak off from the coat: and them that passed harmless
you have turned to war.
You have taken away, etc... You have even stripped people of their
necessary garments: and have treated such as were innocently passing on
the way, as if they were at war with you.
2:9. You have cast out the women of my people from their houses, in
which they took delight: you have taken my praise forever from their
children.
You have cast out, etc... either by depriving them of their houses: or,
by your crimes, given occasion to their being carried away captives, and
their children, by that means, never learning to praise the Lord.
2:10. Arise ye, and depart, for there is no rest here for you. For that
uncleanness of the land, it shall be corrupted with a grievous
corruption.
2:11. Would God I were not a man that hath the spirit, and that I rather
spoke a lie: I will let drop to thee of wine, and of drunkenness: and it
shall be this people upon whom it shall drop.
Would God, etc... The prophet could have wished, out of his love to his
people, that he might be deceived in denouncing to them these evils that
were to fall upon them: but by conforming himself to the will of God, he
declares to them, that he is sent to prophesy, literally to let drop
upon them, the wine of God's indignation, with which they should be made
drunk; that is, stupefied and cast down.
2:12. I will assemble and gather together all of thee, O Jacob: I will
bring together the remnant of Israel, I will put them together as a
flock in the fold, as sheep in the midst of the sheepcotes, they shall
make a tumult by reason of the multitude of men.
2:13. For he shall go up that shall open the way before them: they shall
divide and pass through the gate, and shall come in by it: and their
king shall pass before them, and the Lord at the head of them.