A Psalm of Outrage at Deception and Lies:
הוֹי הָאֹמְרִים לָרַע טוֹב וְלַטּוֹב רָע שָׂמִים חֹשֶׁךְ לְאוֹר וְאוֹר לְחֹשֶׁךְ שָׂמִים מַר לְמָתוֹק וּמָתוֹק לְמָר׃
Ah,
Those who call evil good
And good evil;
Who present darkness as light
And light as darkness;
Who present bitter as sweet
And sweet as bitter!
הוֹי מַגִּיעֵי בַיִת בְּבַיִת שָׂדֶה בְשָׂדֶה יַקְרִיבוּ עַד אֶפֶס מָקוֹם …בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃
Ah,
Those who add house to house
And join field to field,
Till there is no room for…you to dwell in the land!
הוֹי מֹשְׁכֵי הֶעָוֺן בְּחַבְלֵי הַשָּׁוְא וְכַעֲבוֹת הָעֲגָלָה חַטָּאָה׃
Ah,
Those who haul sin with cords of falsehood
And iniquity as with cart ropes!
הוֹי חֲכָמִים בְּעֵינֵיהֶם וְנֶגֶד פְּנֵיהֶם נְבֹנִים׃
Ah,
Those who are so wise—
In their own opinion;
So clever—
In their own judgment!
מַצְדִּיקֵי רָשָׁע עֵקֶב שֹׁחַד וְצִדְקַת צַדִּיקִים יָסִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ׃
Who vindicate the one who is in the wrong
In return for a bribe,
And withhold vindication
From those who are in the right.
: וַיְקַו לְמִשְׁפָּט וְהִנֵּה מִשְׂפָּח
לִצְדָקָה וְהִנֵּה צְעָקָה
God hoped for justice,
But behold, injustice;
For righteousness,
But behold, outcries of injustice!
הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יֱהֹוִה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ
לֹא־רָעָב לַלֶּחֶם וְלֹא־צָמָא לַמַּיִם כִּי אִם־לִשְׁמֹעַ אֵת דִּבְרֵי יְהֹוָה׃
A time is coming—declares God—when I will send a famine upon the land: not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of God.
וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן גּוֹאֵל וּלְשָׁבֵי פֶשַׁע בְּיַעֲקֹב נְאֻם יְהֹוָה׃
A Redeemer shall come to Zion,
To those in Jacob who turn back from sin
—declares GOD.
כִּי־יָבוֹא כַנָּהָר צָר רוּחַ יְהֹוָה נֹסְסָה בוֹ׃
For God shall come like a hemmed-in stream
That the wind of God drives on;
וְיִגַּל כַּמַּיִם מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה כְּנַחַל אֵיתָן׃
For justice will well up like water,
Righteousness like an unfailing stream.
וַיִּגְבַּהּ יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת בַּמִּשְׁפָּט וְהָאֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ נִקְדָּשׁ בִּצְדָקָה׃
Then the God of Hosts will be exalted by justice,
The Holiness of God proved holy by acts of righteousness.
Is. Ch. 5; Amos 8:11; Is. 59: 20, 19; Amos 5:24; Is. 5:20
Song:
Al eleh ani bokhiah
ha-tikhyenah ha-atzamot ha-eleh
Over these I weep,
will these bones live again?
Lam. 1:16; Ez. 37:3
Listen here.
