For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.
******Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.
Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.
My people—infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.
The LORD has taken his place to contend; he stands to judge peoples.
The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: “It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
The LORD said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go,
tinkling with their feet, therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts.
Comment: I have marked with a series of asterisks the one assuring sentence in this passage! God is a righteous Judge and following Him is rewarded! Following Him as we read the whole of the Bible means following Jesus, Who is His answer to mankind’s problems of rebellion and sin! There is one other hopeful word – God still calls the ones on whom He gives firm Judgement ‘My people’!
Otherwise God doesn’t mince around with the facts. He calls a spade ‘a spade’! There are two ‘woes’. The first ‘woe’, at the very beginning, is spoken to the sexual perverts performing acts that brought judgement on Sodom. In our modern society such perversions are called normal alternatives. God doesn’t agree! The second ‘woe’ is spoken to a much wider group, the wicked. It doesn’t matter much how we use the word ‘wicked’; sometimes in this age it is used almost as an alternative for ‘delightful’! In Biblical terms it means anyone whose heart is settled on living ignoring what God has decreed! Sadly God says that their leadership is all ‘topsy-turvey’. He says, ‘infants are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, your guides mislead you and they have swallowed up the course of your paths.‘ I think that the word ‘infants’ doesn’t refer to age but still uninformed, ignorant, wisdom lacking pseudo-leaders. Real men were supposed to be their leaders.
Then the LORD, the Almighty Jehovah the One and Only True God, utters judgement on two specific groups 1. The Elders and Princes, that is, the religious and temporal leaders. 2. The daughters of Zion, which I take it refers to all the women. You read again what He says. If I were to be so frank in this day and age I would be likely to be taken to court by our leaders both male and female!
Proverbs 28: 16 – A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
Prayer: Please help me to be discerning but not judgemental, O my Lord.
As I read it! 