An Evil Time

¹Woe to those who devise wickedness,

Who work out evil on their beds!

When the light of the morning comes , they do it,

For it is in the power of their hands.

²And they covet fields and then tear them away,

And houses, and take them away.

And they oppress a man and his house,

A man and his inheritance.

³Therefore thus says Yahweh,

“Behold, I am devising against this family an evil demise

From which you cannot remove your necks;

And you will not walk haughtily,

For it will be an evil time.

⁴“On that day they will take up against you a taunt[#2:4 Or proverb]

And utter a bitter wailing and say,

‘We are completely devastated!

He exchanges the portion of my people;

How He removes it from me!

To the faithless one, He apportions our fields.’

⁵“Therefore you will have no one stretching a measuring line[#2:5 Lit casting]

For you by lot in the assembly of Yahweh.

⁶¶‘Do not speak, dripping out words ,’ they say while dripping out words .

But if they do not drip out words concerning these things,

Dishonor will not be turned back.

⁷“Is it being said, O house of Jacob:

‘Is the Spirit of Yahweh impatient?

Are these His deeds?’

Do not My words do good

To the one walking uprightly?

⁸“And recently My people have arisen as an enemy—[#2:8 Lit And yesterday]

You strip the robe off the garment

From unsuspecting passers-by,

From those returned from war.

⁹“The women of My people you drive out,

Each one from her pleasant house.

From her infants you take My splendor forever.

¹⁰“Arise and go,

For this is no place of rest

Because of the uncleanness that wreaks destruction,

A painful destruction.

¹¹“If a man walking after wind and lying

Had acted falsely and said ,

‘I will speak, dripping out words to you concerning wine and liquor,’

He would be one who drips out words as a spokesman to this people.

¹²¶“I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob;

I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.

I will put them together like sheep in the fold;

Like a flock in the midst of its pasture

They will be noisy with men.

¹³“The breaker goes up before them;

They break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it.

So their king goes on before them,

And Yahweh at their head.”