Isaiah 3
1 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,
The Commander of the armies of angels is about to take away from Jerusalem and [other places in] Judea everything that you depend on— all your food and water.
2 the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the one who practices divination and the elder,
He will take away your heroes and your [other] soldiers, your judges and your prophets, people who do rituals to find out what will happen in the future and the elders,
3 the captain of fifty and the respected citizen, the counselor, the expert craftsman and the skillful enchanter.
army officers and [other] officials, advisors and skilled craftsmen and those who perform rituals to predict the future.
4 “I will place mere youths as their leaders, and the young will rule over them.
He will appoint boys to be your leaders; your children will rule you.
5 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.
People will treat each other cruelly: people will fight against their neighbors. Young people will insult older people, and vulgar/dishonorable people will sneer at people who should be honored.
6 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.'
At that time, someone will grab one of his brothers in his father’s house and say to him, “You have a coat, [which shows that you are respected]. [So] you be our leader! You rule this [city, which is now] a pile of ruins!”
7 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.'”
[But] his brother will reply, “[No], I cannot help you, [because] I do not have [any extra] food or clothes in this house. [So] do not appoint me to be your leader!”
8 For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their actions are against Yahweh, defying the eyes of his glory.
Jerusalem and [the other towns in] Judah will be destroyed, because [everything] that the people do and say there opposes Yahweh, who is powerful and glorious, and they refuse to obey him. They rebel against him.
9 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.
They even show on their faces that [they oppose Yahweh]. They are proud of their sins, like [the people of] Sodom were [long ago]; they do not try to hide their sins. [Because of their sins], terrible things will happen to them, [but] they will bring those disasters on themselves.
10 Tell the righteous person that it will be well, for they will eat the fruit of their deeds.
[Yahweh told me to] tell the righteous people that good things will happen to them; they will enjoy the blessings that they will receive for their good deeds.
11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly for him, for the recompense of his hands will be done to him.
[But] terrible things will happen to wicked people; they will be (paid back/punished) for [the evil things that] [MTY] they have done.
12 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.
[Now], youths [who have become leaders] treat my people cruelly, and women rule over my people. My people, your leaders are misleading you; they are causing you to go down the wrong road [MET].
13 Yahweh stands up for an accusation; he is standing to accuse the people.
[It is as though] Yahweh has sat in his place in a courtroom and is ready to judge his people.
14 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.
He will stand up to declare why the elders and rulers of his people should be punished: [he says], “The people of Israel are [like] [MET] a vineyard that I planted, but you have ruined it! Your houses are full of things that you have stolen from poor people.
15 Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts.
You should stop [RHQ] crushing my people! [It is as though] you are pushing the faces of poor people into the dirt!” [That is what] the Commander of the armies of angels says.
16 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.
Yahweh says this: “The women of Jerusalem are haughty/proud; they walk around sticking their chins out, and flirting [with men] with their eyes. They walk with tiny steps with bracelets on their ankles that jingle.
17 Therefore the Lord will form scabs on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and Yahweh will make them bald.
So I, Yahweh, will cause sores to be on their heads, and I will cause those beautiful women in Jerusalem to become bald.”
18 On that day the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, head bands, the crescent ornaments,
At the time [that Yahweh does that], he will strip away everything that the women of Jerusalem wear to make themselves beautiful—the ornaments on their ankles and their headbands, their crescent necklaces,
19 the ear pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
their earrings and bracelets and veils,
20 the headscarves, the ankle chains, the sashes, and the perfume boxes, and the lucky charms.
their scarves and ankle bracelets and sashes, their perfumes and (charms/little things that they wear thinking that those things will protect them from evil),
21 He will remove the rings and the nose jewels;
their signet rings and nose rings,
22 the festive robes, the mantles, the veils, and the handbags;
their nice robes and capes and cloaks and purses,
23 the hand mirrors, the fine linen, the head pieces, and the wraps.
their mirrors and nice linen clothes and shawls.
24 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.
Instead of their having a nice smell from perfume, they will stink; instead of nice sashes, they will have ropes [around their waists because they will be captives]. Instead of having fancy hairdos, they will be bald. Instead of fancy/beautiful robes, they will wear rough sackcloth, and instead of being beautiful, they will be branded.
25 Your men will fall by the sword, and your strong men will fall in war.
Their husbands will be killed by [their enemies’] swords, and their soldiers [will also die] in battles.
26 Jerusalem's gates will lament and mourn; and she will be alone and sit upon the ground.
People [PRS] will mourn and cry at the gates [of the city]. The city will [be like] [MET] a woman who sits on the ground because everything that she owned is gone.
