1 O yee children of Beniamin, gather your selues to flee out of the middest of Ierusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa: and set vp a signe of fire in Beth-haccerem: for euill appeareth out of the North, and great destruction.
2 I haue likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.
3 The shepheards with their flocks shall come vnto her: they shall pitch their tents against her round about: they shall feede, euery one in his place.
4 Prepare yee warre against her: arise, and let vs goe vp at noone: woe vnto vs, for the day goeth away, for the shadowes of the euening are stretched out.
5 Arise, and let vs goe by night, and let vs destroy her palaces.
6 ¶ For thus hath the Lord of hostes said; Hew yee downe trees and cast a mount against Ierusalem: this is the citie to be visited, she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.
7 As a fountaine casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickednesse: violence and spoile is heard in her, before me continually is griefe and wounds.
8 Be thou instructed, O Ierusalem, lest my soule depart from thee: lest I make thee desolate, a lande not inhabited.
9 ¶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall throughly gleane the remnant of Israel as a vine: turne backe thine hand as a grape gatherer into the baskets.
10 To whome shall I speake and giue warning, that they may heare? Behold, their eare is vncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: beholde, the word of the Lord is vnto them a reproch: they haue no delight in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the furie of the Lord: I am weary with holding in: I will powre it out vpon the children abroad, and vpon the assembly of yong men together: for euen the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of dayes.
12 And their houses shall be turned vnto others, with their fields and wiues together: for I wil stretch out my hand vpon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.
13 For from the least of them euen vnto the greatest of them, euery one is giuen to couetousnesse, and from the prophet euen vnto the priest, euery one dealeth falsly.
14 They haue healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people sleightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them, they shall bee cast downe, saith the Lord.
16 Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the wayes and see, and aske for the old paths, where is the good way, and walke therein, and ye shall finde rest for your soules: but they said, We will not walke therein.
17 Also I set watchmen ouer you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet: but they said, We wil not hearken.
18 ¶ Therefore heare ye nations, and know, O Congregation what is among them.
19 Heare, O earth, behold, I will bring euill vpon this people, euen the fruit of their thoughts, because they haue not hearkened vnto my wordes, nor to my law, but reiected it.
20 To what purpose cōmeth there to me incense from Sheba? and the sweet cane from a farre countrey? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet vnto me.
21 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay stumbling blockes before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall vpon them: the neighbor and his friend shall perish.
22 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people commeth from the North countrey, and a great nation shall bee raised from the sides of the earth.
23 They shall lay hold on bowe and speare: they are cruell, and haue no mercie: their voice roareth like the Sea, and they ride vpon horses, set in aray as men for warre against thee, O daughter of Zion.
24 We haue heard the fame thereof, our hands waxe feeble, anguish hath taken hold of vs, and paine as of a woman in trauaile.
25 Goe not forth into the field, nor walke by the way: for the sword of the enemie and feare is on euery side.
26 ¶ O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallowe thy selfe in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an onely sonne, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come vpon vs.
27 I haue set thee for a towre, and a fortresse among my people: that thou mayest know and trie their way.
28 They are all grieuous reuolters, walking with slanders: they are brasse and yron, they are all corrupters.
29 The bellowes are burnt, the lead is consumed of the fire: the founder melteth in vaine: for the wicked are not plucked away.
30 Reprobate siluer shall men call them, because the Lord hath reiected them.
The invasion of Judea. (1-8) The justice of God's proceedings. (9-17) All methods used to amend them had been without success. (18-30)1-8 Whatever methods are used, it is vain to contend with God's judgments. The more we indulge in the pleasures of this life, the more we unfit ourselves for the troubles of this life. The Chaldean army shall break in upon the land of Judah, and in a little time devour all. The day is coming, when those careless and secure in sinful ways will be visited. It is folly to trifle when we have eternal salvation to work out, and the enemies of that salvation to fight against. But they were thus eager, not that they might fulfil God's counsels, but that they might fill their own treasures; yet God thereby served his own purposes. The corrupt heart of man, in its natural state, casts out evil thoughts, just as a fountain casts out her waters. It is always flowing, yet always full. The God of mercy is loth to depart even from a provoking people, and is earnest with them, that by repentance and reformation, they may prevent things from coming to extremity.
9-17 When the Lord arises to take vengeance, no sinners of any age or rank, or of either sex escape. They were set upon the world, and wholly carried away by the love of it. If we judge of this sin by God's word, we find multitudes in every station and rank given up to it. Those are to be reckoned our worst and most dangerous enemies, who flatter us in a sinful way. Oh that men would be wise for their souls! Ask for the old paths; the way of godliness and righteousness has always been the way God has owned and blessed. Ask for the old paths set forth by the written word of God. When you have found the good way, go on in it, you will find abundant recompence at your journey's end. But if men will not obey the voice of God and flee to his appointed Refuge, it will plainly appear at the day of judgment, that they are ruined because they reject God's word.
18-30 God rejects their outward services, as worthless to atone for their sins. Sacrifice and incense were to direct them to a Mediator; but when offered to purchase a license to go on in sin, they provoke God. The sins of God's professing people make them an easy prey to their enemies. They dare not show themselves. Saints may rejoice in hope of God's mercies, though they see them only in the promise: sinners must mourn for fear of God's judgments, though they see them only in the threatenings. They are the worst of revolters, and are all corrupters. Sinners soon become tempters. They are compared to ore supposed to have good metal in it, but which proves all dross. Nothing will prevail to part between them and their sins. Reprobate silver shall they be called, useless and worthless. When warnings, corrections, rebukes, and all means of grace, leave men unrenewed, they will be left, as rejected of God, to everlasting misery. Let us pray, then, that we may be refined by the Lord, as silver is refined.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.