Online Bible

God Will Remove the Leaders

For behold, the Lord ¹GOD of hosts ^ais going to remove from Jerusalem and JudahBoth ²supply and support, the whole ³supply of breadAnd the whole ⁴supply of water;2 ^aThe mighty man and the warrior,The judge and the prophet,The diviner and the elder,3 The captain of fifty and the honorable man,The counselor and the expert artisan,And the skillful enchanter.4 And I will make mere ^alads their princes,And ¹capricious children will rule over them,5 And the people will be ^aoppressed,Each one by another, and each one by his ^bneighbor;The youth will storm against the elderAnd the inferior against the honorable.6 When a man ^alays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,And these ruins will be under your ¹charge,”7 He will ¹protest on that day, saying,“I will not be your ²^ahealer,For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”8 For ^aJerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,Because their ¹^bspeech and their actions are against the LORD,To ^crebel against ²His glorious presence.9 ¹The expression of their faces bears witness against them,And they display their sin like ^aSodom;They do not even conceal it.Woe to ²them!For they have ^bbrought evil on themselves.10 Say to the ^arighteous that it will go well with them,For they will eat the fruit of their actions.11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,For ¹^awhat he deserves will be done to him.12 O My people! Their oppressors ¹are ^achildren,And women rule over them.O My people! ^bThose who guide you lead you astrayAnd confuse the direction of your paths.

God Will Judge

13 ^aThe LORD arises to contend,And stands to judge the people.14 The LORD ^aenters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,“It is you who have ^bdevoured the vineyard;The ^cplunder of the poor is in your houses.15 “What do you mean by ^acrushing My peopleAnd grinding the face of the poor?”Declares the Lord ¹GOD of hosts.

Judah’s Women Denounced

16 Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the ^adaughters of Zion are proudAnd walk with ¹heads held high and seductive eyes,And go along with mincing stepsAnd tinkle the bangles on their feet,17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,And the LORD will make their foreheads bare.”

18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, ^acrescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 ^aheaddresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 21 ¹finger rings, ^anose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils.

24 Now it will come about that instead of ¹sweet ^aperfume there will be putrefaction;Instead of a belt, a rope;Instead of ^bwell-set hair, a ^cplucked-out scalp;Instead of fine clothes, a ^ddonning of sackcloth;And branding instead of beauty.25 Your men will ^afall by the swordAnd your ¹mighty ones in battle.26 And her ¹^agates will lament and mourn,And deserted she will ^bsit on the ground.

Yahweh Will Judge Judah’s Leaders

For behold, the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, ^ais going to remove from Jerusalem and JudahBoth ¹supply and support, the whole ²supply of breadAnd the whole ³supply of water,2 ^aThe mighty man and the man of war,The judge and the prophet,The diviner and the elder,3 The commander of fifty and the ¹highly respected man,The counselor and the wise craftsman,And the experienced enchanter.4 And I will make ^ayoung men their princes,And ¹capricious children will rule over them,5 And the people will be ^aoppressed,Each one by another, and each one by his ^bneighbor;The youth will overwhelm the elderAnd the dishonorable, the honorable.6 When a man ^agrasps his brother in his father’s house, saying,“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,And these ruins will be under your hand,”7 He will ¹protest on that day, saying,“I will not be your ²^ahealer,For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”8 For ^aJerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,Because their ^btongue and their deeds are against Yahweh,To ^crebel against ¹His glorious presence.9 ¹The expression of their faces answers against them,And they declare their sin like ^aSodom;They do not even conceal it.Woe to their soul!For they have ^bdealt out evil on themselves.10 Say to the ^arighteous that it will go well with them,For they will eat the fruit of their deeds.11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,For ¹^awhat he has dealt out will be done to him.12 O My people! Their taskmasters ¹are ^ainfants,And women rule over them.O My people! ^bThose who guide you lead you astrayAnd swallow up the way of your paths.

13 ^aYahweh takes His stand to contend,And stands to judge the peoples.14 Yahweh ^aenters into judgment with the elders of His people and His princes,“It is you who have ^bconsumed the vineyard;The ^cplunder robbed of the afflicted is in your houses.15 “What do you mean by ^acrushing My peopleAnd grinding the face of the afflicted?”Declares Lord Yahweh of hosts.

Yahweh Will Judge Zion’s Daughters

16 Moreover, Yahweh said,“Because the ^adaughters of Zion are haughtyAnd walk with outstretched necks and seductive eyes,And go along with mincing stepsAnd tinkle the bangles on their feet,

17 Therefore the Lord will smite the skull of the daughters of Zion with scabs,And Yahweh will make their foreheads bare.”

18 In that day the Lord will remove the beauty of their anklets, headbands, ^acrescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 ^aheaddresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, enchanted charms, 21 ¹finger rings, ^anose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans, and shawls.

24 Now it will be that instead of ¹sweet ^aperfume there will be the smell of rot;Instead of a belt, a rope;Instead of ^bwell-set hair, a ^cplucked-out scalp;Instead of fine clothes, a ^ddonning of sackcloth;And branding instead of beauty.25 Your men will ^afall by the swordAnd your ¹mighty ones in battle.26 And her ¹^agates will lament and mourn,And deserted she will ^bsit on the ground.