Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem
1For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah
Thea stock and the store,
The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water;
2The mighty man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;
3The captain of fifty and the bhonorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.
4“I will give childrenc to be their princes,
And dbabes shall rule over them.
5The people will be oppressed,
Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;
The child will be insolent toward the eelder,
And the fbase toward the honorable.”
6When a man takes hold of his brother
In the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing;
You be our ruler,
And let these ruins be under your gpower,”
7In that day he will protest, saying,
“I cannot cure your ills,
For in my house is neither food nor clothing;
Do not make me a ruler of the people.”
8For Jerusalem stumbled,
And Judah is fallen,
Because their tongue and their doings
Are against the LORD,
To provoke the eyes of His glory.
9The look on their countenance witnesses against them,
And they declare their sin as Sodom;
They do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought evil upon themselves.
10“Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,
For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him,
For the reward of his hands shall be hgiven him.
12As for My people, children are their oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O My people! Those who lead you icause you to err,
And destroy the way of your paths.”
Oppression and Luxury Condemned
13The LORD stands up to jplead,
And stands to judge the people.
14The LORD will enter into judgment
With the elders of His people
And His princes:
“For you have keaten up the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord GOD of hosts.
16Moreover the LORD says:
“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with loutstretched necks
And mwanton eyes,
Walking and nmincing as they go,
Making a jingling with their feet,
17Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the LORD will uncover their secret parts.”
18In that day the Lord will take away the finery:
The jingling anklets, the oscarves, and the crescents;
19The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
20The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;
The perfume boxes, the charms,
21and the rings;
The nose jewels,
22the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses,
23and the mirrors;
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.
24And so it shall be:
Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, baldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And pbranding instead of beauty.
25Your men shall fall by the sword,
And your qmighty in the war.
26Her gates shall lament and mourn,
And she being desolate shall sit on the ground.