שִׁמְעוּ הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה פָּרוֹת הַבָּשָׁן אֲשֶׁר בְּהַר שֹׁמְרוֹן הָעֹשְׁקוֹת דַּלִּים הָרֹצְצוֹת אֶבְיוֹנִים הָאֹמְרוֹת לַאֲדֹנֵיהֶם הָבִיאָה וְנִשְׁתֶּה

Hear this matter, cows of Bashan, who are on the highlands of Samaria. The cows of the Bashan were larger and heavier than those of other regions. Here they symbolize wealthy women of Samaria and the surrounding areas, who exploit the poor, who break the indigent, who say to their masters, their husbands: Bring us beverages, and we will drink. By demanding that their requests be fulfilled immediately, they cause the poor and destitute to be trampled.

נִשְׁבַּע ה' אֱלוֹהִים בְּקָדְשׁוֹ כִּי הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים עֲלֵיכֶם וְנִשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם בְּצִנּוֹת וְאַחֲרִיתְכֶן בְּסִירוֹת דּוּגָה

The Lord God took an oath by His holiness that behold, days are coming upon you, and you will be carried off by your captors in small boats, and your end will be with fishing boats.

וּפְרָצִים תֵּצֶאנָה אִשָּׁה נֶגְדָּהּ וְהִשְׁלַכְתֶּנָה הַהַרְמוֹנָה נְאֻם־ה'

Each woman will exit through breaches opposite her. Each woman will escape through the closest breach made by the enemy. Since all protective areas will be ruptured, any sense of security will disappear and everyone will flee in different directions. And they will be cast into the harem; this is the utterance of the Lord. All the women will be cast into the harems of powerful individuals, or into prison, or will be taken to transit camps where they will be assembled to be sold eventually as maidservants.

בֹּאוּ בֵית־אֵל וּפִשְׁעוּ הַגִּלְגָּל הַרְבּוּ לִפְשֹׁעַ וְהָבִיאוּ לַבֹּקֶר זִבְחֵיכֶם לִשְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים מַעְשְׂרֹתֵיכֶם

Come to Beit El, the center of worship in the Kingdom of Israel, where Yorovam placed one of his two golden calves, and transgress. Come to Gilgal, which also served as a religious center, where the people renewed the original covenant, and further transgress. The prophet is mocking the people’s assumption that their offerings will appease God for all the sins they have committed. Each day in the morning, bring your animals for slaughtering for idolatry; after three days you may eat them, as they will be your animal tithes. Some offerings, such as the animal tithe, may be eaten for up to two days after their sacrifice, whereas here the people kept them until the third day. The prophet is saying to the people that even if they do not worship actual idolatry, nevertheless they violate the laws of offerings.

וְקַטֵּר מֵחָמֵץ תּוֹדָה וְקִרְאוּ נְדָבוֹת הַשְׁמִיעוּ כִּי כֵן אֲהַבְתֶּם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם ה' אֱלוֹהִים

Burn a thanks offering of leavened bread upon the altar. The Torah does not command the burning of the leaven loaves of the thanks offering; it is prohibited to sacrifice any leaven upon the altar; and call for the community to come and offer pledges, and proclaim this, for so you loved to do, children of Israel; this is the utterance of the Lord God. The ceremonies you perform in your religious center are based upon the laws of the Torah, but you disparage and alter the details of the rites.

וְגַם־אֲנִי נָתַתִּי לָכֶם נִקְיוֹן שִׁנַּיִם בְּכָל־עָרֵיכֶם וְחֹסֶר לֶחֶם בְּכֹל מְקוֹמֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא־שַׁבְתֶּם עָדַי נְאֻם־ה'

I also have given you, as punishment, cleanness of teeth, a severe shortage of food, in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places. The disgrace of suffering from famine should have aroused you to repent, but you did not return to Me; this is the utterance of the Lord.

וְגַם אָנֹכִי מָנַעְתִּי מִכֶּם אֶת־הַגֶּשֶׁם בּעוֹד שְׁלֹשָׁה חֳדָשִׁים לַקָּצִיר וְהִמְטַרְתִּי עַל־עִיר אֶחָת וְעַל־עִיר אַחַת לֹא אַמְטִיר חֶלְקָה אַחַת תִּמָּטֵר וְחֶלְקָה אֲשֶׁר־לֹא־תַמְטִיר עָלֶיהָ תִּיבָשׁ

I also withheld the rain from you with still three months remaining to the harvest. Barley is generally harvested in the month of Nisan, and wheat in Sivan. The height of the rainy season occurs three months before the harvest, but it had not yet rained at that point. Moreover, even when rain did fall, I would bring rain upon one city, and upon another city I would not bring rain; on one section there would be rain, and the section upon which it would not rain would wither. This uneven drought caused uncertainty and confusion.

וְנָעוּ שְׁתַּיִם שָׁלֹשׁ עָרִים אֶל־עִיר אַחַת לִשְׁתּוֹת מַיִם וְלֹא יִשְׂבָּעוּ וְלֹא־שַׁבְתֶּם עָדַי נְאֻם־ה'

Since rain fell sporadically and only in specific locations, two or three cities moved to one city to drink water. The residents of the cities suffering from drought would go to the city that had experienced rainfall, in order to drink water, but they would not be satisfied. The residents of that city did not allow others to drink from their water, as there was not enough for all three cities. Yet despite the punishments, you did not return to Me; this is the utterance of the Lord.

הִכֵּיתִי אֶתְכֶם בַּשִּׁדָּפוֹן וּבַיֵּרָקוֹן הַרְבּוֹת גַּנּוֹתֵיכֶם וְכַרְמֵיכֶם וּתְאֵנֵיכֶם וְזֵיתֵיכֶם יֹאכַל הַגָּזָם ולֹא־שַׁבְתֶּם עָדַי נְאֻם־ה'

I smote you with blight, so that your produce withered, and with mildew; the multitudes of your gardens, your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees, the caterpillar has devoured, and yet you did not return to Me; this is the utterance of the Lord.

שִׁלַּחְתִּי בָכֶם דֶּבֶר בְּדֶרֶךְ מִצְרַיִם הָרַגְתִּי בַחֶרֶב בַּחוּרֵיכֶם עִם שְׁבִי סוּסֵיכֶם וָאַעֲלֶה בְּאֹשׁ מַחֲנֵיכֶם וּבְאַפְּכֶם וְלֹא־שַׁבְתֶּם עָדַי נְאֻם־ה'

I sent pestilence against you on the way of your exit to Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, with your horses captured. Battalions of soldiers were captured, with the riders killed and the horses taken as spoils. I raised the stench of your camp in your nostrils, yet you did not return to Me; this is the utterance of the Lord.

הָפַכְתִּי בָכֶם כְּמַהְפֵּכַת אֱלֹהִים אֶת־סְדֹם וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָה וַתִּהְיוּ כְּאוּד מֻצָּל מִשְּׂרֵפָה וְלֹא־שַׁבְתֶּם עָדַי נְאֻם־ה'

I caused upheaval among you, like God overturned Sodom and Gomorrah. Your world has been overturned, and troubles have fallen on you from above. You were like a firebrand rescued from a conflagration, like a partially burnt piece of wood; yet you did not return to Me; this is the utterance of the Lord.

לָכֵן כֹּה אֶעֱשֶׂה־לְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עֵקֶב כִּי־זֹאת אֶעֱשֶׂה־לָּךְ הִכּוֹן לִקְרַאת־אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל

Since all of the above punishments have been ineffective, therefore, so I will do to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel. This revelation of God will be far more frightening than all the preceding events. When God Himself appears, unlike the drought and the other aforementioned calamities, which are His messengers, you will be unable to remain indifferent and carefree. Those who were unmoved by the calamities and the prophet’s rebuke, and heedlessly continued in their previous ways, will ultimately change when the great day of God arrives.

כִּי הִנֵּה יוֹצֵר הָרִים וּבֹרֵא רוּחַ ומַגִּיד לְאָדָם מַה־שֵּׂחוֹ עֹשֵׂה שַׁחַר עֵיפָה וְדֹרֵךְ עַל־בָּמֳתֵי אָרֶץ ה' אֱלֹהֵי־צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ

For behold, He is the Former of mountains and Creator of wind, large things that affect the entire world; and yet at the same time He is aware of the smallest details, and it is He who tells man what his conversation is, what he said to another. He renders dawn darkness and tramples upon the heights of the earth; the Lord, God of hosts, is His name.