< 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, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
2 the strong man, and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the seer and the elder;
The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
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 captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4 And I will provide children as their leaders, and the effeminate will rule over them.
And I will give children [to be] their princes, and babes shall rule over 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.
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base 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 a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, [saying], Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and [let] this ruin [be] under thy 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 shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house [is] neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler 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.
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings [are] against the LORD, to provoke 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 shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide [it] not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
10 Tell the just man that it is well, for he shall eat from the fruit from his own plans.
Say ye to the righteous, that [it shall be] well [with him: ] for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe to the impious man immersed in evil! For retribution will be given to him from his own hands.
Woe unto the wicked! [it shall be] ill [with him: ] for the reward of his hands shall be given 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.
[As for] my people, children [are] their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause [thee] to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
13 The Lord stands for judgment, and he stands to judge the people.
The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge 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 will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor [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 mean ye [that] ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
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,
Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing [as] they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
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 the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.
18 In that day, the Lord will take away their decorative shoes,
In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of [their] tinkling ornaments [about their feet], and [their] cauls, and [their] round tires like the moon,
19 and the little moons and chains, and the necklaces and bracelets, and the hats,
The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20 and the ornaments for their hair, and the anklets, and the touches of myrrh and little bottles of perfumes, and the earrings,
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21 and the rings, and the jewels hanging on their foreheads,
The rings, and nose jewels,
22 and the continual changes in appearance, and the short skirts, and the fine linens and embroidered cloths,
The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 and the mirrors, and scarves, and ribbons, and their sparse clothing.
The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
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 it shall come to pass, [that] instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; [and] burning instead of beauty.
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 sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26 And her gates will grieve and mourn. And she will sit on the ground, desolate.
And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she [being] desolate shall sit upon the ground.