< 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, Jehovah of hosts, Taketh away from Jerusalem and from Judah every stay and support; 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 warrior, The judge, the prophet, the diviner, and the sage,
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 honorable man, The counsellor, the expert in arts, and the skilful in charms.
4 And I will provide children as their leaders, and the effeminate will rule over them.
And I will make boys their princes, And children 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 oppress one another, Man striving against man, and neighbor against neighbor; The boy shall behave himself insolently toward the aged, And the base toward the honorable.
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.”
Then shall a man take hold of his brother in his father's house, [[and say, ]] Thou hast yet clothing, Be thou our ruler, And take this ruin into thy hands!
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.”
But in that day shall he lift up his hand, and say: I am no healer; In my house is neither bread nor raiment; Make not me 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 tottereth, and Judah falleth, Because their tongues and their deeds are against Jehovah, To provoke his holy eyes.
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.
Their very countenance witnesseth against them; They publish their sin like Sodom; they hide it not; Woe to them, for they bring evil upon themselves!
10 Tell the just man that it is well, for he shall eat from the fruit from his own plans.
Say ye of the righteous that it shall be well with him, For he shall eat the fruit of his doings.
11 Woe to the impious man immersed in evil! For retribution will be given to him from his own hands.
Woe to the wicked, it shall be ill with him, For the work of his hands shall be repaid 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, thy leaders cause thee to err, And destroy the way in which thou walkest!
13 The Lord stands for judgment, and he stands to judge the people.
Jehovah standeth up to maintain his cause; He standeth up to judge his 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.
Jehovah entereth into judgment with the elders of his people, and their princes: “So then ye have consumed the vineyard; The plunder 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 crush my people, And grind the faces of the poor?” Saith Jehovah, the Lord 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,
Thus, also, saith Jehovah: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks, And glance their eyes wantonly, Mincing their steps as they go, And tinkling with their foot-clasps,
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 will the Lord make their heads bald, And Jehovah will expose their nakedness.
18 In that day, the Lord will take away their decorative shoes,
In that day shall the Lord take from them The ornaments of the foot-clasps, and the net-works, and the crescents;
19 and the little moons and chains, and the necklaces and bracelets, and the hats,
The ear-rings, and the bracelets, and the veils;
20 and the ornaments for their hair, and the anklets, and the touches of myrrh and little bottles of perfumes, and the earrings,
The turbans, and the ankle-chains, and the belts; The perfume-boxes, and the amulets;
21 and the rings, and the jewels hanging on their foreheads,
The finger-rings, and the nose-jewels;
22 and the continual changes in appearance, and the short skirts, and the fine linens and embroidered cloths,
The embroidered robes, and the tunics, and the cloaks, and the purses;
23 and the mirrors, and scarves, and ribbons, and their sparse clothing.
The mirrors, and the linen shifts, and the head-bands, and the large veils.
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 instead of perfume there shall be corruption; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of curled locks, baldness; Instead of a wide mantle, a covering of sackcloth; Fire-scars 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, Yea, thy mighty men in battle;
26 And her gates will grieve and mourn. And she will sit on the ground, desolate.
Her gates shall lament and mourn, And she, being desolate, shall sit upon the ground.

< Isaiah 3 >