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Judgment Comes to Judah’s Leaders

“Note this! The Lord God of the Heavenly Armies
    is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah
        everything that your society needs—[a]
all food supplies
    and all water supplies,
the mighty man
    and the warrior,
the judge
    and the prophet,
the fortune-teller
    and the elder,
the commander of fifty
    and the man of rank,
and the counselor, the expert magician,
    and the medium.

“I will make youths their princes,
    and infants will rule over them.
People will oppress one another—
    It will be man against man
        and neighbor against neighbor.
The young will be disrespectful to the old,
    and the worthless to the honorable.

“For a man will grab his brother
    in his own father’s house,
and say, ‘You have a cloak,
    so you be our leader,
and this heap of ruins
    will be under your rule!’

“But[b] at that time,[c] he’ll protest![d]
    He’ll say, ‘I won’t be your healer.
I have neither food nor clothing in my house!
    You’re not going to make me a leader of the people!’

“For Jerusalem has stumbled,
    and Judah has fallen,
because what they say and do opposes[e] the Lord;
    they keep defying him.[f]

“The expressions on their faces give them away.[g]
    They parade their sin around like Sodom;
        they don’t even try to[h] hide it.
How horrible it will be for them,
    because they have brought disaster on themselves!”

Encouragement to the Righteous

10 “Tell[i] the righteous that things will go well,
    because they will enjoy[j] the fruit of their actions.”

Warning to the Wicked

11 “How terrible it will be for the wicked!
    Disaster is headed their way,
        because what they did with their hand[k] will be repaid[l] to them.

12 “As for my people, children[m] are their oppressors,
    and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders are misleading you—
    they’re giving you confusing directions.”[n]

When God Goes to Court

13 The Lord is taking his place to argue his case;
    he’s standing up to judge the people.
14 The Lord will go to court[o]
    to oppose[p] the elders and princes of his people:

“You’re the ones who have been devouring the vineyard,
    the plunder of the poor is in your own houses!
15 How dare you crush[q] my people
    as you grind down the face of the poor?”
        declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.[r]

Judgment of Jerusalem’s Women

16 The Lord also says:

“Because Zion’s women are so haughty,
    and walk with outstretched necks,
flirting with their eyes,
    prancing[s] along as they walk,
        and making tinkling noises with their ankle bracelets,[t]
17 therefore the Lord[u] will afflict sores
    on the heads of Zion’s women,
        and the Lord[v] will expose their private parts.

18 “At that time,[w] the Lord[x] will take away the finery of the ankle bracelets, headbands, crescents, 19 pendants, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, armlets, sashes, perfume boxes, charms, 21 signet rings, nose rings, 22 fine robes, capes,[y] purses, 23 mirrors, linen garments, tiaras, and veils.

24 “And it will come about that instead of fragrance
    there will be[z] a stench;
instead of a belt, a rope;
    instead of well-set hair, baldness;
instead of a fine robe, sackcloth;
    and instead of beauty, shame.[aa]
25 Your men will die violently,[ab]
    while your forces[ac] fall[ad] in battle
26 and her gates lament and mourn.
    Ravaged, she will sit on the ground.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 3:1 Lit. Judah both supply and support
  2. Isaiah 3:7 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks But
  3. Isaiah 3:7 Lit. day
  4. Isaiah 3:7 Lit. he’ll cry out
  5. Isaiah 3:8 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read do is towards
  6. Isaiah 3:8 Lit. defying his glorious presence
  7. Isaiah 3:9 Lit. faces bears witness against them
  8. Isaiah 3:9 1QIsaa MT lack try to
  9. Isaiah 3:10 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks Tell
  10. Isaiah 3:10 Lit. eat
  11. Isaiah 3:11 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX read hands
  12. Isaiah 3:11 So 1QIsaa; MT reads done
  13. Isaiah 3:12 Or youths
  14. Isaiah 3:12 So MT; 1QIsaa reads they’re devouring your paths
  15. Isaiah 3:14 Lit. go into judgment
  16. Isaiah 3:14 Lit. with
  17. Isaiah 3:15 Lit. What do you mean by crushing
  18. Isaiah 3:15 So 1QIsaa MT; LXX lacks this line
  19. Isaiah 3:16 Or mincing
  20. Isaiah 3:16 Lit. their feet
  21. Isaiah 3:17 So 1QIsaa corrector; 1QIsaa 4QIsab MT read my Lord; LXX reads God
  22. Isaiah 3:17 So 1QIsaa corrector MT; 1QIsaa reads my Lord
  23. Isaiah 3:18 Lit. In that day
  24. Isaiah 3:18 So 1QIsaa LXX; MT 1QIsaa corrector read my Lord
  25. Isaiah 3:22 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT read capes and cloaks
  26. Isaiah 3:24 The 1QIsaa lacks will be a stench
  27. Isaiah 3:24 So 1QIsaa; MT reads burning instead of beauty; LXX lacks this line
  28. Isaiah 3:25 Lit. will fall by the sword
  29. Isaiah 3:25 So 1QIsaa; MT reads force
  30. Isaiah 3:25 1QIsaa MT lack fall

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

See now, the Lord,
    the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
    both supply and support:(A)
all supplies of food(B) and all supplies of water,(C)
    the hero and the warrior,(D)
the judge and the prophet,
    the diviner(E) and the elder,(F)
the captain of fifty(G) and the man of rank,(H)
    the counselor, skilled craftsman(I) and clever enchanter.(J)

“I will make mere youths their officials;
    children will rule over them.”(K)

People will oppress each other—
    man against man, neighbor against neighbor.(L)
The young will rise up against the old,
    the nobody against the honored.

A man will seize one of his brothers
    in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
    take charge of this heap of ruins!”
But in that day(M) he will cry out,
    “I have no remedy.(N)
I have no food(O) or clothing in my house;
    do not make me the leader of the people.”(P)

Jerusalem staggers,
    Judah is falling;(Q)
their words(R) and deeds(S) are against the Lord,
    defying(T) his glorious presence.
The look on their faces testifies(U) against them;
    they parade their sin like Sodom;(V)
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    They have brought disaster(W) upon themselves.

10 Tell the righteous it will be well(X) with them,
    for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.(Y)
11 Woe to the wicked!(Z)
    Disaster(AA) is upon them!
They will be paid back(AB)
    for what their hands have done.(AC)

12 Youths(AD) oppress my people,
    women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;(AE)
    they turn you from the path.

13 The Lord takes his place in court;(AF)
    he rises to judge(AG) the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment(AH)
    against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
    the plunder(AI) from the poor(AJ) is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people(AK)
    and grinding(AL) the faces of the poor?”(AM)
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.(AN)

16 The Lord says,
    “The women of Zion(AO) are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,(AP)
    flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
    with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
    the Lord will make their scalps bald.(AQ)

18 In that day(AR) the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,(AS) 19 the earrings and bracelets(AT) and veils,(AU) 20 the headdresses(AV) and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings,(AW) 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks,(AX) the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments(AY) and tiaras(AZ) and shawls.

24 Instead of fragrance(BA) there will be a stench;(BB)
    instead of a sash,(BC) a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;(BD)
    instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;(BE)
    instead of beauty,(BF) branding.(BG)
25 Your men will fall by the sword,(BH)
    your warriors in battle.(BI)
26 The gates(BJ) of Zion will lament and mourn;(BK)
    destitute,(BL) she will sit on the ground.(BM)

For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water.

The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:

In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.

16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,

21 The rings, and nose jewels,

22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,

23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.