1Woe to those that devise iniquity, and plan evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they execute it, because it is in their power to do it. 2They covet fields and houses, and take them by violence; thus, they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. 3Therefore, thus says the LORD: “Behold, against this family I plan a calamity from which you shall not save your necks, nor shall you any longer walk in your pride; for it will be a time of disaster. 4In that day they shall ridicule and taunt you with a doleful lamentation, and say, ‘We are utterly ruined; God has divided the inheritance of our people; how God has taken it from us! He has allotted our fields to those who betrayed us.’” 5Therefore, you shall have no one who is dedicated to the LORD to allot the land with equity. 6“Do not preach such things”, say the people to those that prophesy; “Do not prophesy of such things; such shame shall not overtake us.” 7You who are descendants of Jacob, will the Spirit of the LORD have patience with such behavior? Are these His doings? Do my words not do good to them who walk uprightly? 8Lately, my people are risen up like an enemy; they yank the robe or shirts off those that pass by unsuspectingly, leaving them looking like men returning from battle. 9You have driven the women from their pleasant houses; you taken away God’s blessing from their children. 10Get up and go away! For this is no longer your home or resting place; because it is polluted, ruined beyond remedy. 11If someone lies to you and says, ‘I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink’, he would be just the perfect prophet for this people. 12“I will surely gather all of you,” O Jacob (says the LORD); “I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will bring them together like the sheep of Bozrah, like the flock in the middle of their fold; their land shall again be a place of noisy crowds. 13The One Who breaks through and opens the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate, and go out through it; and their King shall pass before them, and the LORD at the head of them.” Who is the “breaker” and the “king” referred to in verse 13? This term only occurs 4 times in the Bible – and the other 3 refer to breakers of either: the covenant (Rom 1:31); the law (Rom.2:15); and of truces (Tim.3.3). So you may find this term “breaker” puzzling: This particular “breaker” is quite different. He is the entity who will break the gates of the cities where the exiled Israelites are held captive in the lands to which they were scattered by the LORD for their repeated unfaithfulness to Him. An analysis of 33 translation renderings revealed that 27 use a form of the word “break” or “breaker” in verse 13. (12 use “breaker”; 7 use “one who breaks.”) 4 renderings use the word “Open”; 2 use other terms. The commentaries seem to agree that this “breaker: is the Mighty Deliverer Who breaks the bondage of sin for all believers. And all evidence indicates that the “king” is the LORD God Himself, being in a providential way at the head of them.
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