1   And I said:

Listen, you leaders of Jacob, rulers of Israel,
should you not know what is right?
     2   You hate good and love evil,

The rulers of Israel and Judah denounced
you flay men alive and tear the very flesh from their bones;
   3   you devour the flesh of my people,
  strip off their skin,
    splinter their bones;
  you shred them like flesh ^note into a pot,
    like meat into a cauldron.


4   Then they will call to the Lord, and he will give them no answer;
when that time comes he will hide his face from them,
  so wicked are their deeds.

5   These are the words of the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who promise prosperity in return for a morsel of food, who proclaim a holy war against them if they put nothing into their mouths:

6   Therefore night shall bring you no vision,
  darkness no divination;
  the sun shall go down on the prophets,
  the day itself shall be black above them.
7   Seers and diviners alike shall blush for shame;
  they shall all put their hands over their mouths, ^note
  because there is no answer from God.


8   But I am full of strength, ^note of justice and power,
  to denounce his crime to Jacob
    and his sin to Israel.
   9   Listen to this, leaders of Jacob,
    rulers of Israel,
  you who make justice hateful
  and wrest it from its straight course,
   10   building Zion in bloodshed
    and Jerusalem in iniquity.
   11   Her rulers sell justice,
  her priests give direction in return for a bribe,
  her prophets take money for their divination,
    and yet men rely on the Lord.
  ‘Is not the Lord among us?’ they say;
  ‘then no disaster can befall us.’
     12   Therefore, on your account
  Zion shall become a ploughed field,
  Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
  and the temple hill rough heath.

Previous section

Next section