CHAPTER 6 Nov. 26 
Woe to Those Who Are at Ease 
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! 2Go to Calneh, and see; and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms? Or is their border greater than your border? 3Those who put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; 4who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 5who strum on the strings of a harp; who invent for themselves instruments of music, like David did; 6who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7Therefore they will now go into captivity with the first who go captive; and the feasting and lounging will end. 8The Lord Yahweh has sworn by Himself, says Yahweh, the God of Armies, that I hate the pride of Jacob, and detest his fortresses. Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it. 9It will happen, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die. 10When a man’s relative carries his body out of the house to burn it, he will ask him who is in the innermost parts of the house: ‘Is there yet any with you?’. And if he says, ‘No’, then he will say, ‘Hush! Indeed we must not mention the name of Yahweh’. 11For behold, Yahweh says it, and the great house will be smashed to pieces, and the little house into bits. 12Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plough there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness; 13you who rejoice in a thing of nothing, who say, ‘Haven’t we taken for ourselves horns by our own strength?’. 14For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, says Yahweh, the God of  Armies; and they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.

Commentary

6:1-6 The situation described here before the “day of the Lord” in those days is exactly the situation today. Self-indulgence, laziness, over sleeping, over eating, brainwashed by music and ignoring the needs of others, whilst psychologically putting the reality of God’s judgment far away (:3)- this is the spirit of our age, and it heralds the final day of the Lord.