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Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

The mighty Lord All-Powerful
is going to take away
    from Jerusalem and Judah
everything you need—
    your bread and water,
* soldiers and heroes,
judges and prophets,
    leaders and army officers,
officials and advisors,
fortunetellers and others
    who tell the future.
He will let children and babies[a]
    become your rulers.
You will each be cruel
    to friends and neighbors.
Young people will insult
    their elders;
no one will show respect
    to those who deserve it.

Some of you will grab hold
    of a relative and say,
“You still have a coat.
Be our leader and rule
    this pile of ruins.”
But the answer will be,
“I can't do you any good.
    Don't make me your leader.
There's no food or clothing
    left in my house.”

Jerusalem and Judah,
you rebelled against
    your glorious Lord
your words and your actions,
    made you stumble and fall.
The look on your faces shows
that you are sinful as Sodom,
    and you don't try to hide it.
You are in for trouble,
and you have brought it all
    on yourselves.

The Wrong Kind of Leaders

10 Tell those who obey God,
“You're very fortunate—
    you will be rewarded
    for what you have done.”
11 Tell those who disobey,
“You're in big trouble—
    what you did to others
    will come back to you.”
12 Though you are God's people,
you are ruled and abused
    by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
    down the wrong path.

13 The Lord is ready to accuse
    and judge all nations.
14 He will even judge
you rulers and leaders
    of his own nation.
You destroyed his vineyard[b]
and filled your houses
    by robbing the poor.
15 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“You have crushed my people
    and rubbed in the dirt
    the faces of the poor.”

The Women of Jerusalem

16 The Lord says:
    The women of Jerusalem
are proud and strut around,
    winking shamelessly.
They wear anklets that jingle
and call attention
    to the way they walk.
17 But I, the Lord, will cover
    their heads with sores,
and I will uncover
    their private parts.

18-23 When that day comes, I will take away from those women all the fine jewelry they wear on their ankles, heads, necks, ears, arms, noses, fingers, and on their clothes. I will remove their veils, their belts, their perfume, their magic charms, their royal robes, and all their fancy dresses, hats, and purses.

24 In place of perfume,
    there will be a stink;
in place of belts,
    there will be ropes;
in place of fancy hairdos,
    they will have bald heads.
Instead of expensive clothes,
    they will wear sackcloth;
instead of beauty,
    they will have ugly scars.
25 The fighting men of Jerusalem
    will be killed in battle.
26 The city will mourn
and sit in the dirt,
    emptied of its people.

Footnotes

  1. 3.4 babies: Or “worthless nobodies.”
  2. 3.14 his vineyard: The nation Israel (see 5.1-7).

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