5:18 Woe 1 to those who wish for the day of the Lord!
Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come?
It will bring darkness, not light.
6:1 Woe 2 to those who live in ease in Zion, 3
to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
They think of themselves as 4 the elite class of the best nation.
The family 5 of Israel looks to them for leadership. 6
1 tn The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”) was used when mourning the dead (see the note on the word “dead” in 5:16). The prophet here either engages in role playing and mourns the death of the nation in advance or sarcastically taunts those who hold to this misplaced belief.
2 tn On the Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy; “ah, woe”) as a term of mourning, see the notes in 5:16, 18.
3 sn Zion is a reference to Jerusalem.
4 tn The words “They think of themselves as” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the term נְקֻבֵי (nÿquvey; “distinguished ones, elite”) is in apposition to the substantival participles in the first line.
5 tn Heb “house.”
6 tn Heb “comes to them.”