And I said. He further answers their claim, “Is the spirit of Hashem constrained? Are these His deeds?” He calls upon the leaders of the house of Jacob to judge the matter themselves and determine whether they do not deserve to be punished by Hashem according to justice. Thus he says, Is it not for you to know justice?—that punishment is rightfully due to them according to justice and law.

Who hate. Since they hate good and love evil, which is the opposite of justice—as it says, “Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate” (Amos 5:15)—they strip the skin from the poor, and afterward strip their flesh as well from their bones.

And those who. After they have already devoured the flesh of My people and stripped off their skin, leaving them nothing more to steal because they have plundered everything they possessed, then they break their bones, opening them to search for marrow. They also cut them apart and break the bones in two, as meat is placed in a small pot and the bones are broken, and like flesh within a cauldron, where the bones are boiled until all their marrow is extracted. In the same way, they oppress the poor in their possessions and their bodies until their very souls are crushed.

Then. Since they commit such evil deeds, if then, at the time of calamity, they cry out to Hashem and He does not answer them, and He hides His face from them at that time, withdrawing His Providence and abandoning them to chance, is this injustice on His part? Surely, justice requires it, because they have made their deeds evil. How, then, can you ask, “Are these His deeds?” In accordance with the evil of their own deeds, He hides His face from them, and calamity comes upon them of itself, as determined by their conduct and the condition they have brought upon themselves.

Thus says Hashem. Because they refused to listen to the true prophets and instead heeded false teachers and lying prophets, Hashem speaks concerning those prophets who lead My people astray from the proper path and prophesy solely for their own benefit. If they have something to bite with their teeth—if people give them food and thereby stop their mouths from speaking evil—then they proclaim peace. But against anyone who does not put food into their mouths to silence them, they consecrate war and prophesy evil, like the incident involving Bar Hedya in the chapter Ha-Ro’eh.

Therefore, night shall come upon you because of vision. There were three types among them: visionaries, diviners, and prophets. Concerning the visionaries, since visions ordinarily come at night, he says that vision will no longer come through the night; rather, night will come upon you because of the vision. Concerning the diviners, since divination is ordinarily performed in a dark place, divination will no longer come through darkness; rather, it shall grow dark for you because of divination. Concerning the false prophets, who prophesied during the day, the sun shall set upon the prophets. He adds that not only will the sun set, but the day itself shall grow dark over them: while it is still daytime and the sun remains in the heavens, the day will darken over them. This means that calamity will overtake them before its appointed time.

And they shall be ashamed. Consequently, the seers shall be ashamed, and the diviners shall be humiliated—humiliation being more severe than shame. The prophets who speak with their lips shall cover their upper lips, like a mourner who covers his mouth and refrains from speaking. The reason for all this is because there is no answer from God: none of their visions, divinations, or prophecies came in response from God; they were merely lies and the deceit of their own hearts.

But as for me, I am not like these false prophets. They have no answer from God in their mouths, but I am filled with power by the spirit of Hashem, Who speaks through me—not with false divination or a vain vision. They consecrate war against anyone who does not put food into their mouths, but I am filled with justice, to speak according to law and truth, and with might, so that I fear no man. They lead My people astray, but I am filled with strength to declare to Jacob his transgression.

Hear this, please. After saying (in verse 1), “Hear, please, O heads of the house of Jacob,” and vindicating the ways of Hashem by showing that everything comes according to law and justice, he concludes his words: If so, hear this—what I now say to you. For you abhor justice, meaning established civil law, and also pervert everything upright—things required by reason—acting contrary to uprightness and reason. Thus, they obey neither the established laws accepted by society nor the dictates of sound reason.

(10–11) Who builds. That is, I ask them: Do they imagine that Hashem builds Zion with bloodshed, and that this is why, although its leaders judge for bribes, they rely upon Hashem, saying, “Is not Hashem in our midst?” Could they possibly think that Hashem loves bloodshed and injustice, and that with these He builds Zion and Jerusalem, so that even while judging for bribes they may rely upon Hashem, supposing that He desires such conduct and that through it Zion will be built and Jerusalem established? Surely Hashem builds Zion through justice and righteousness. Therefore, since its leaders, who are appointed to administer justice between one person and another, judge for bribes; its priests, who are appointed to issue religious rulings, teach for a price—declaring impure or pure, forbidden or permitted, according to the payment they receive—and its prophets do not prophesy but rather practice divination for money given to them, how can they rely upon Hashem, saying, “Is not Hashem in our midst?” How can they expect Him to protect them so that no calamity will come upon them?

Therefore. You will see the opposite: Because of you, Zion shall be plowed like a field. Zion will not be built through bloodshed; rather, it will be destroyed. He depicts the devastation as increasing with the degree of sanctity: Zion will be plowed until it becomes like a field; Jerusalem will not be plowed, but will become heaps of ruins through the collapse of its houses; and the Temple Mount, where the Temple and the altar stood and of which the Western Wall remained, will resemble the high places found in a forest, which no person enters, but where only foxes and wild beasts roam.