Chapter 2

Woe to Oppressors

1 Woe to those who ascheme iniquity,

Who work out evil on their beds!

1bWhen morning comes, they do it,

For it is in the cpower of their hands.

2 They acovet fields and then bseize them,

And houses, and take them away.

They 1crob a man and his house,

A man and his inheritance.

3 Therefore thus says the Lord,

“Behold, I am aplanning against this bfamily a calamity

From which you ccannot remove your necks;

And you will not walk dhaughtily,

For it will be an eevil time.

4 “On that day they will atake up against you a 1taunt

And 2butter a bitter lamentation and say,

‘We are completely cdestroyed!

He exchanges the portion of my people;

How He removes it from me!

To the apostate He dapportions our fields.’

5 “Therefore you will have no one 1astretching a measuring line

For you by lot in the assembly of the Lord.

6 ‘aDo not 1speak out,’ so they 1speak out.

But if 2they do bnot 1speak out concerning these things,

cReproaches will not be turned back.

7 “Is it being said, O house of Jacob:

‘Is the Spirit of the Lord aimpatient?

Are these His doings?’

Do not My words bdo good

To the one cwalking uprightly?

8 “1Recently My people have arisen as an aenemy—

You bstrip the 2robe off the garment

From cunsuspecting passers-by,

From those returned from war.

9 “The women of My people you aevict,

Each one from her pleasant house.

From her children you take My bsplendor forever.

10 “Arise and go,

For this is no place aof rest

Because of the buncleanness that brings on destruction,

A painful destruction.

11 “If a man walking after wind and afalsehood

Had told lies and said,

‘I will 1speak out to you concerning bwine and liquor,’

He would be 2spokesman to cthis people.

12 “I will surely aassemble all of you, Jacob,

I will surely gather the bremnant 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 the Lord at their head.”