1 Ask athe Lord for brain In cthe time of the latter rain. The Lord will make1 flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
2 For the aidols speak delusion; The diviners envision blies, And tell false dreams; They ccomfort in vain. Therefore thepeople wend their way like dsheep; They are1 in trouble ebecause thereis no shepherd.
3 “My anger is kindled against the ashepherds, bAnd I will punish the1 goatherds. For the Lord of hosts cwill visit His flock, The house of Judah, And dwill make them as His royal horse in the battle.
4 From him comes athe cornerstone, From him bthe tent peg, From him the battle bow, From him every1 ruler together.
5 They shall be like mighty men, Who atread down theirenemies In the mire of the streets in the battle. They shall fight because the Lord is with them, And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.
6 “I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph. aI will bring them back, Because I bhave mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the Lord their God, And I cwill hear them.
7Thoseof Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, And their aheart shall rejoice as if with wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
8 I will awhistle for them and gather them, For I will redeem them; bAnd they shall increase as they once increased.
9 “Ia will sow them among the peoples, And they shall bremember Me in far countries; They shall live, together with their children, And they shall return.
10aI will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, bUntil no moreroom is found for them.
11aHe shall pass through the sea with affliction, And strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of1 the River shall dry up. Then bthe pride of Assyria shall be brought down, And cthe scepter of Egypt shall depart.
12 “So I will strengthen them in the Lord, And athey shall walk up and down in His name,” Says the Lord.
Those who ask for it—sincerely—will get the rain that God promises. These people were obviously worshipping God. He would not have heard them or answered their prayers if they were idolaters. This shows that God does not just withhold rain when sin prevails; it works the other way as well. If we do right, if we ask Him in sincerity and humility, He will give rain in due season.
At the end of verse 2 and the beginning of verse 3, God promises to punish the shepherds—a type of either the religious or civil leadership—for leading the sheep into idolatry, ungodly ways, and lies that will not produce any good for them either now or in the long run. He will make His point, and one of the ways that He does so is through drought, lack of rain.
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