‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh, “An evil, an only evil, behold it comes. An end is come, the end is come, it awakes against you, behold it comes. Your doom is come to you, O inhabitant of the land, the time is come, the day is near, a day of tumult and not of joyful shouting on the mountains. Now will I shortly pour out my fury on you, and accomplish my anger against you, and will judge you according to your ways, and I will bring on you all your abominations. And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will bring on you according to your ways, and your abominations will be in the midst of you. And you will know that I am Yahweh the smiter.” '
This might almost be a description of the end days before the final restoration, but it is not. It is describing ‘the end days' for Jerusalem and Judah at that time. Notice again the repetition and the stress on the fact that ‘it is coming'. ‘An evil, behold it comes -- an end is come -- the end is come -- it awakes against you, behold it comes -- your doom is come -- the time is come.' Its import could not be mistaken. It was definitely and specifically ‘at hand'.
What was coming was not only an evil but ‘an only evil', a singular, unique evil, unlike anything previously known (Ezekiel 5:9). Indeed it was ‘the end' for Jerusalem and Judah that was coming, an end awakening as though out of sleep. It was ‘doom' that was coming. For the time of His judgments was now here.
There is in this passage a further deliberate play on words. An ‘end' is ‘qes', ‘the end' is ‘haqqes', ‘awakes' is ‘heqis'. The word for ‘doom' is difficult. In Isaiah 28:5 it is used of Yahweh being ‘a diadem' of beauty to the residue of His people. Thus it is something that comes on people to display what they are and here a crown of doom. The translation ‘morning' in AV is based on an Aramaic word.
And that time, that day will be a day of tumult rather than of joyful shouting on the mountains. The mountain had known much joyful shouting as men sinned before their idols, and cavorted with the sacred prostitutes, and drank and made merry. But now that would become tumult as they were hunted down by their adversaries.
‘Now will I shortly pour out my fury on you, and accomplish my anger against you, and will judge you according to your ways, and I will bring on you all your abominations. And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will bring on you according to your ways, and your abominations will be in the midst of you. And you will know that I Yahweh do smite.' The same warnings are given as before. The repetition is deliberate, to bring firmly home exactly what the coming events will indicate. It was important that Israel recognise why they were suffering, why these dreadful events would and had come on them.
They would be the signs of His fury against sin, of His anger at their behaviour. They would be the signs that He had judged them and found them wanting. And all their abominations would be poured out on them. His eye would miss nothing. None would be spared. He would have no pity. His judgment was inexorable. And they would know that it was Yahweh Who smote them. That the certain destruction of their holy city and of their temple was His doing.
‘You will know that I am Yahweh the Smiter.' Previously stress is laid on their ‘knowing Yahweh'. Now they will know Him as the One Who smites those who do evil, the righteous One, the Judge.