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1 Moreouer the word of the Lord came vnto mee, saying;
2 Also thou sonne of man, thus saith the Lord God vnto the land of Israel, An end, the ende is come vpon the foure corners of the land.
3 Now is the ende come vpon thee, and I will send mine anger vpon thee, and will iudge thee according to thy wayes, and will recompense vpon thee all thine abominations.
4 And mine eye shal not spare thee, neither will I haue pitie: but I will recompense thy wayes vpon thee, and thine abominations shalbe in the midst of thee, and yee shall know that I am the Lord.
5 Thus sayth the Lord God, An euill, an onely euill, behold, is come.
6 An end is come, the end is come, it watcheth for thee, behold, it is come.
7 The morning is come vnto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is neere, and not the sounding againe of the mountaines.
8 Now will I shortly powre out my furie vpon thee, and accomplish mine anger vpon thee: and I wil iudge thee according to thy wayes, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.
9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I haue pitie: I will recompense thee according to thy wayes, and thine abominations that are in the middest of thee, and yee shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth.
10 Behold the day, behold, it is come, the morning is gone foorth, the rodde hath blossomed, pride hath budded.
11 Uiolence is risen vp into a rod of wickednesse: none of them shall remaine, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs, neither shall there be wailing for them.
12 The time is come, the day draweth neere, let not the buyer reioyce, nor the seller mourne: for wrath is vpon all the multitude thereof.
13 For the seller shall not returne to that which is solde, although they were yet aliue: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof which shal not returne: neither shall any strengthen himselfe in the iniquity of his life.
14 They haue blowen the trumpet, euen to make all ready, but none goeth to the battell: for my wrath is vpon all the multitude thereof.
15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword, and hee that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall deuoure him.
16 ¶ But they that escape of them, shall escape, and shall be on the mountaines like doues of the valleys, all of them mourning, euery one for his iniquitie.
17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shalbe weake as water.
18 They shall also girde themselues with sackcloth, and horrour shall couer them, and shame shall be vpon all faces, and baldnesse vpon all their heads.
19 They shall cast their siluer in the streets, and their golde shalbe remooued: their siluer and their golde shall not be able to deliuer them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfie their soules, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling blocke of their iniquitie.
20 ¶ As for the beautie of his ornament, he set it in maiestie: but they made the images of their abominations, and of their detestable things therein: therefore haue I set it farre from them.
21 And I will giue it into the hands of the strangers for a pray, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoile, and they shall pollute it.
22 My face will I turne also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it and defile it.
23 ¶ Make a chaine: for the land is full of bloody crimes, the citie is full of violence.
24 Wherfore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possesse their houses: I will also make the pompe of the strong to cease, and their holy places shall be defiled.
25 Destruction commeth, and they shall seeke peace, and there shall be none.
26 Mischiefe shall come vpon mischiefe, and rumour shall be vpon rumour, then shall they seeke a vision of the prophet: but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsell from the ancients.
27 The king shall mourne, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will doe vnto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I iudge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
The desolation of the land. (1-15) The distress of the few who should escape. (16-22) The captivity. (23-27)1-15 The abruptness of this prophecy, and the many repetitions, show that the prophet was deeply affected by the prospect of these calamities. Such will the destruction of sinners be; for none can avoid it. Oh that the wickedness of the wicked might end before it bring them to an end! Trouble is to the impenitent only an evil, it hardens their hearts, and stirs up their corruptions; but there are those to whom it is sanctified by the grace of God, and made a means of much good. The day of real trouble is near, not a mere echo or rumour of troubles. Whatever are the fruits of God's judgments, our sin is the root of them. These judgments shall be universal. And God will be glorified in all. Now is the day of the Lord's patience and mercy, but the time of the sinner's trouble is at hand.
16-22 Sooner or later, sin will cause sorrow; and those who will not repent of their sin, may justly be left to pine away in it. There are many whose wealth is their snare and ruin; and the gaining the world is the losing of their souls. Riches profit not in the day of wrath. The wealth of this world has not that in it which will answer the desires of the soul, or be any satisfaction to it in a day of distress. God's temple shall stand them in no stead. Those are unworthy to be honoured with the form of godliness, who will not be governed by its power.
23-27 Whoever break the bands of God's law, will find themselves bound and held by the chains of his judgments. Since they encouraged one another to sin, God would dishearten them. All must needs be in trouble, when God comes to judge them according to their deserts. May the Lord enable us to seek that good part which shall not be taken away.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.