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Israel’s Leaders Denounced

And I said,
“Listen, O heads of Jacob
    and leaders of the house of Israel!
    Is it not for you to know justice?
Those of you who are haters of good
    and lovers of evil,
who tear their skin from them
    and their flesh from their bones,
and who eat the flesh of my people,
    and strip their skin from them,
and break their bones,
    and chop them like meat in the pot,
    and like flesh in the midst of a cooking pot.”
Then they will cry to Yahweh,
    but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
    when they have made their deeds evil.
Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets
    who are leading my people astray,
who are biting with their teeth
    and proclaim, “Peace,”
but whoever puts nothing into their mouths
    they declare war against.
Therefore it will be as night to you, without vision,
    and darkness to you, without divination.
And the sun will set on the prophets,
    and the day will grow dark over them.
Then the seers will be disgraced,
    and those practicing divination will be put to shame.
All of them will cover their lips,
    for there is no reply from God.
But I, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of Yahweh,
and with justice and might,
    to declare to Jacob his rebellion,
    and to Israel his sin.
Hear this, O rulers of the house of Jacob
    and leaders of the house of Israel,
those detesting justice
    and perverting all that is right,
10 he who builds Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.
11 Its rulers judge for a bribe;
    its priests teach for a price;
    its prophets practice divination for money.
But they lean on Yahweh, saying,
    Is not Yahweh in our midst?
    Disaster will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you
    Zion will be plowed as a field,
and Jerusalem will be a heap of rubble,
    and the temple mount[a] as a high place in a forest.

Footnotes

  1. Micah 3:12 Literally “the mountain of the house”

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
who eat my people’s flesh,(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;(D)
who chop(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?(F)

Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.(G)
At that time he will hide his face(H) from them
    because of the evil they have done.(I)

This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,(J)
they proclaim ‘peace’(K)
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.(L)
The sun will set for the prophets,(M)
    and the day will go dark for them.(N)
The seers will be ashamed(O)
    and the diviners disgraced.(P)
They will all cover(Q) their faces(R)
    because there is no answer from God.(S)
But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
    to Israel his sin.(T)

Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;(U)
10 who build(V) Zion with bloodshed,(W)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.(X)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(Y)
    her priests teach for a price,(Z)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(AA)
Yet they look(AB) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”(AC)
12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(AD)
    the temple(AE) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(AF)