Micah 3

1 I said, “Now listen, you leaders of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not right for you to understand justice?

And I say, “Now hear, O heads of Jacob, And you judges of the house of Israel, Is it not for you to know the judgment?

2 You who hate good and love evil, you who tear off their skin, their flesh from their bones—

You who are hating good, and loving evil, Taking violently their skin from off them, And their flesh from off their bones,

3 you who also eat the flesh of my people, and tear their skin off, break their bones, and chop them in pieces, just like meat for a pot, just like meat in a cauldron.

And who have eaten the flesh of My people, And their skin from off them have stripped, And their bones they have broken, And they have spread [them] out as in a pot, And as flesh in the midst of a cauldron.”

4 Then you rulers will cry out to Yahweh, but he will not answer you. He will hide his face from you at that time, because you have done evil deeds.”

Then they cry to YHWH, And He does not answer them, And hides His face from them at that time, As they have made evil their doings.

5 Yahweh says this, “As for the prophets who lead my people astray, if one gives them something to eat, they proclaim, 'Peace.' But if he puts nothing in their mouths, they dedicate themselves to wage war on him.

Thus said YHWH concerning the prophets Who are causing My people to err, Who are biting with their teeth, And have cried “Peace,” And he who does not give to their mouth, They have sanctified against him war:

6 Therefore, it will be night for you with no vision for you; it will be dark so that you will do no divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, and the day will be dark on them.

“Therefore you have a night without vision, And you have darkness without divination, And the sun has gone in on the prophets, And the day has been black over them.

7 The seers will be put to shame, and the diviners will be confused. All of them will cover their lips, for there is no answer from me.”

And the seers have been ashamed, And the diviners have been confounded, And all of them have covered their lip, For there is no answer, O God.”

8 But as for me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Yahweh, and am full of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

And yet I have been full of power by the Spirit of YHWH, And of judgment, and of might, To declare to Jacob his transgression, And to Israel his sin.

9 Now listen to this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, you who detest justice, and pervert everything right.

Now hear this, O heads of the house of Jacob, And you judges of the house of Israel, Who are making judgment abominable, And pervert all uprightness.

10 You build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity.

Building up Zion with blood, And Jerusalem with iniquity.

11 Your leaders judge for a bribe, your priests teach for a price, and your prophets do divination for money. Yet you rely on Yahweh and say, “Is not Yahweh with us? No evil will come on us.”

Her heads judge for a bribe, And her priests teach for hire, And her prophets divine for silver, And on YHWH they lean, saying, “Is not YHWH in our midst? Evil does not come in on us.”

12 Therefore, because of you, Zion will become a plowed field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the hill of the temple will become a thicket.

Therefore, for your sake, Zion is plowed a field, and Jerusalem is heaps, And the mountain of the house [is] for high places of a forest!