Esias 3
1 Behold now, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will take away from Jerusalem and from Judea the mighty man and mighty woman, the strength of bread, and the strength of water,
See, the Lord Yahweh of hosts is about to take away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and staff: the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water,
2 the great and mighty man, the warrior and the judge, and the prophet, and the counsellor, and the elder,
the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the one who practices divination and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty also, and the honourable counsellor, and the wise artificer, and the intelligent hearer.
the captain of fifty and the respected citizen, the counselor, the expert craftsman and the skillful enchanter.
4 And I will make youths their princes, and mockers shall have dominion over them.
“I will place mere youths as their leaders, and the young will rule over them.
5 And the people shall fall, man upon man, and [every] man upon his neighbour: the child shall insult the elder man, and the base the honourable.
The people will be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor; the child will insult the elderly, and the degraded will challenge the honorable.
6 For a man shall lay hold of his brother, as one of his father's household, saying, You have raiment, be you our ruler, and let my meat be under you.
A man will even take hold of his brother in his father's house and say, 'You have a coat; be our ruler, and let this ruin be in your hands.'
7 And he shall answer in that day, and say, I will not be your ruler; for I have no bread in my house, nor raiment: I will not be the ruler of this people.
On that day he will shout and say, 'I will not be a healer; I have no bread or clothing. You will not make me ruler of the people.'”
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judea has fallen, and their tongues [have spoken] with iniquity, disobedient [as they are] towards the Lord.
For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their actions are against Yahweh, defying the eyes of his glory.
9 Therefore now their glory has been brought low, and the shame of their countenance has withstood them, and they have proclaimed their sin as Sodom, and made it manifest.
The look on their faces witnesses against them; and they tell of their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have completed a catastrophe for themselves.
10 Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying against themselves, Let us bind the just, for he is burdensome to us: therefore shall they eat the fruits of their works.
Tell the righteous person that it will be well, for they will eat the fruit of their deeds.
11 Woe to the transgressor! evils shall happen to him according to the works of his hands.
Woe to the wicked! It will go badly for him, for the recompense of his hands will be done to him.
12 O my people, your exactors strip you, and extortioners rule over you: O my people, they that pronounce you blesses lead you astray, and pervert the path of your feet.
My people—children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, those who guide you lead you astray and confuse the direction of your path.
13 But now the Lord will stand up for judgement, and will enter into judgement with his people.
Yahweh stands up for an accusation; he is standing to accuse the people.
14 The Lord himself shall enter into judgement with the elders of the people, and with their rulers: but why have you set my vineyard on fire, and [why is] the spoil of the poor in your houses?
Yahweh will come with judgment against the elders of his people and their leaders: “You have ruined the vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 Why do you wrong my people, and shame the face of the poor?
Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts.
16 Thus says the Lord, Because the daughters of Sion are haughty, and have walked with an outstretched neck, and with winking of the eyes, and motion of the feet, at the same time drawing their garments in trains, and at the same time sporting with their feet:
Yahweh says that because the daughters of Zion are proud, they walk with their necks extended, with flirting eyes, walking with tiny steps as they go, making tinkling sounds from bracelets on their ankles.
17 therefore the Lord will humble the chief daughters of Sion, and the Lord will expose their form in that day;
Therefore the Lord will form scabs on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and Yahweh will make them bald.
18 and the Lord will take away the glory of their raiment, the curls and the fringes, and the crescents,
On that day the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, head bands, the crescent ornaments,
19 and the chains, and the ornaments of their faces,
the ear pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
20 and the array of glorious ornaments, and the armlets, and the bracelets, and the wreathed work, and the finger-rings, and the ornaments for the right hand,
the headscarves, the ankle chains, the sashes, and the perfume boxes, and the lucky charms.
21 and the ear-rings, and the garments with scarlet borders, and the garments with purple grounds, and the shawls to be worn in the house, and the Spartan transparent dresses, and those made of fine linen, and the purple [ones], and the scarlet [ones], and the fine linen, interwoven with gold and purple, and the light coverings for couches.
He will remove the rings and the nose jewels;
22 And there shall be instead of a sweet smell, dust; and instead of a girdle, you shall gird yourself with a rope; and instead of a golden ornament for the head, you shall have baldness on account of your works; and instead of a tunic with a scarlet ground, you shall gird yourself with sackcloth.
the festive robes, the mantles, the veils, and the handbags;
23 And your most beautiful son whom you love shall fall by the sword; and your mighty men shall fall by the sword, and shall be brought low.
the hand mirrors, the fine linen, the head pieces, and the wraps.
24 And the stores of your ornaments shall mourn, and you shall be left alone, and shall be levelled with the ground.
Instead of sweet perfume there will be stench; and instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-arranged hair, baldness; and instead of a robe, a covering of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty.
Your men will fall by the sword, and your strong men will fall in war.
Jerusalem's gates will lament and mourn; and she will be alone and sit upon the ground.
