< Isaiah 3 >

1 For behold, the sovereign Lord of hosts will take away, from Jerusalem and from Judah, the powerful and the strong: all the strength from bread, and all the strength from water;
For lo, the Lord God of hostes will take away from Ierusalem and from Iudah the stay and the strength: euen all the staye of bread, and all the stay of water,
2 the strong man, and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the seer and the elder;
The strong man, and the man of warre, the iudge and the prophet, the prudent and the aged,
3 the leader over fifty and the honorable in appearance; and the counselor, and the wise among builders, and the skillful in mystical speech.
The captaine of fiftie, and the honourable, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent man.
4 And I will provide children as their leaders, and the effeminate will rule over them.
And I will appoint children to bee their princes, and babes shall rule ouer them.
5 And the people will rush, man against man, and each one against his neighbor. The child shall rebel against the elder, and the ignoble against the noble.
The people shalbe oppressed one of another, and euery one by his neighbour: the children shall presume against the ancient, and the vile against the honourable.
6 For a man will apprehend his brother, from the household of his own father, saying: “The vestment is yours. Be our leader, but let this ruin be under your hand.”
When euery one shall take holde of his brother of the house of his father, and say, Thou hast clothing: thou shalt bee our prince, and let this fall be vnder thine hand.
7 In that day, he will respond by saying: “I am not a healer, and there is no bread or vestment in my house. Do not choose to appoint me as a leader of the people.”
In that day hee shall sweare, saying, I cannot bee an helper: for there is no bread in mine house, nor clothing: therefore make me no prince of the people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah has fallen, because their words and their plans are against the Lord, in order to provoke the eyes of his majesty.
Doubtlesse Ierusalem is fallen, and Iudah is fallen downe, because their tongue and workes are against the Lord, to prouoke the eyes of his glory.
9 The acknowledgement of their countenance is their response. For they have proclaimed their own sin, like Sodom; and they have not concealed it. Woe to their souls! For evils are being repaid to them.
The triall of their countenance testifieth against them, yea, they declare their sinnes as Sodom, they hide them not. Wo be vnto their soules: for they haue rewarded euil vnto themselues.
10 Tell the just man that it is well, for he shall eat from the fruit from his own plans.
Say ye, Surely it shalbe well with the iust: for they shall eate the fruite of their workes.
11 Woe to the impious man immersed in evil! For retribution will be given to him from his own hands.
Woe be to the wicked, it shalbe euill with him: for the reward of his handes shalbe giuen him.
12 As for my people, their oppressors have despoiled them, and women have ruled over them. My people, who call you blessed, the same are deceiving you and disrupting the path of your steps.
Children are extortioners of my people, and women haue rule ouer them: O my people, they that leade thee, cause thee to erre, and destroy the way of thy paths.
13 The Lord stands for judgment, and he stands to judge the people.
The Lord standeth vp to pleade, yea, hee standeth to iudge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and with their leaders. For you have been devouring the vineyard, and the plunder from the poor is in your house.
The Lord shall enter into iudgement with the Ancients of his people and the princes thereof: for ye haue eaten vp the vineyarde: the spoyle of the poore is in your houses.
15 Why do you wear down my people, and grind up the faces of the poor, says the Lord, the God of hosts?
What haue ye to do, that ye beate my people to pieces, and grinde the faces of the poore, saith the Lord, euen the Lord of hoasts?
16 And the Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion have been lifted up, and have walked with extended necks and winking eyes, because they have continued on, walking noisily and advancing with a pretentious stride,
The Lord also saith, Because the daughters of Zion are hautie, and walke with stretched out neckes, and with wandering eyes, walking and minsing as they goe, and making a tinkeling with their feete,
17 the Lord will make the heads of the daughters of Zion bald, and the Lord will strip them of the locks of their hair.
Therefore shall the Lord make the heades of the daughters of Zion balde, and the Lord shall discouer their secrete partes.
18 In that day, the Lord will take away their decorative shoes,
In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers, and the calles, and the round tyres,
19 and the little moons and chains, and the necklaces and bracelets, and the hats,
The sweete balles, and the brasselets, and the bonnets,
20 and the ornaments for their hair, and the anklets, and the touches of myrrh and little bottles of perfumes, and the earrings,
The tyres of the head, and the sloppes, and the head bandes, and the tablets, and the earings,
21 and the rings, and the jewels hanging on their foreheads,
The rings and the mufflers,
22 and the continual changes in appearance, and the short skirts, and the fine linens and embroidered cloths,
The costly apparell and the vailes, and the wimples, and the crisping pinnes,
23 and the mirrors, and scarves, and ribbons, and their sparse clothing.
And the glasses and the fine linen, and the hoodes, and the launes.
24 And in place of a sweet fragrance, there will be stench. And in place of a belt, there will be a rope. And in place of stylish hair, there will be baldness. And in place of a blouse, there will be haircloth.
And in steade of sweete sauour, there shall be stinke, and in steade of a girdle, a rent, and in steade of dressing of the heare, baldnesse, and in steade of a stomacher, a girding of sackecloth, and burning in steade of beautie.
25 Likewise, your most handsome men will fall by the sword, and your strong men will fall in battle.
Thy men shall fall by the sworde, and thy strength in the battell.
26 And her gates will grieve and mourn. And she will sit on the ground, desolate.
Then shall her gates mourne and lament, and she, being desolate, shall sit vpon the ground.

< Isaiah 3 >