Study Desk

Woe to those who devise wrongdoing, Who practice evil on their beds! When morning comes, they do it, Because it is in the power of their hands.

Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

They covet fields, so they seize them; And houses, so they take them. They exploit a man and his house, A person and his inheritance.

And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Therefore this is what the LORD says: "Behold, I am planning against this family a catastrophe From which you cannot remove your necks; And you will not walk haughtily, For it will be an evil time.

Therefore thus saith the Lord ; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

"On that day they will take up against you a song of mocking And utter a song of mourning and say, 'We are completely destroyed! He exchanges the share of my people; How He removes it from me! To the apostate He apportions our fields.'

In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.

"Therefore you will have no one applying a measuring line For you by lot in the assembly of the LORD.

Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord .

'Do not prophesy,' so they prophesy. But if they do not prophesy about these things, Insults will not be turned back.

Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.

"Is it being said, house of Jacob: 'Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient? Are these His works?' Do My words not do good For the one walking rightly?

O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

"Recently My people have arisen as an enemy— You strip the robe off the garment From unsuspecting passers-by, From those returned from war.

Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

"You evict the women of My people, Each one from her pleasant house. From her children you take My splendor forever.

The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.

"Arise and go, For this is no place of rest Because of the uncleanness that brings on destruction, A painful destruction.

Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

"If someone walking after wind and falsehood Had lied and said, 'I will prophesy to you about wine and liquor,' He would become a prophet to this people.

If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

"I will certainly assemble all of you, Jacob, I will certainly 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 people.

I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

"The one who breaks through goes up before them; They break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it. So their king passes on before them, And the LORD at their head."

The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.