But the second year passes, and the pitiless heavens give no rain. Drought and famine are doing their sad work, and yet the apostate Israelites do not humble their proud, sinful hearts before God; but they murmur and complain against the prophet of God who brought this dreadful state of things upon them. Fathers and mothers see their children perish, with no power to relieve them. And yet the people are in such terrible darkness that they cannot see that the justice of God is awakened against them because of their sins and that this terrible calamity is sent in mercy to them to save them from fully denying and forsaking the God of their fathers. {3T 276.3}

Men det andet år gik og den ubarmhjertige himmel gav ikke regn. Tørke og hungersnød gør deres dårlige arbejde og alligevel ydmyger de frafaldne israelitter ikke deres stolthed og deres syndige hjerter for Gud; men de knurrer og beklager sig imod Guds profet som bragte denne frygtelige tilstand af tingene over dem. Fædre og mødre ser deres børn gå fortabt, uden magt til at genoplive de. Og alligevel er folket ikke i et så frygteligt mørke at de ikke kan se at Guds retfærdighed er vækket imod dem på grund af deres synder og at denne frygtelige ulykke er sendt i barmhjertighed for dem for at redde dem fra fuldstændig fornægtelse og forlade deres fædres Gud.