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Unjust Leaders, False Prophets

Then I said:

“Hear, leaders of Jacob, rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to know justice?
You haters of good and lovers of evil,
you are robbing their skin from them
    and their flesh from their bones.”
Now that they have eaten the flesh of my people,
stripped their skin off from them,
and smashed their bones to bits,
they cut it up like flesh in a pot,
    or like meat within a caldron.
Then they will cry out to Adonai,
but He will not answer them.
Thus He will hide His face from them at that time,
because of their evil deeds.

Thus said Adonai about the prophets
    who are misleading My people,
those who bite with their teeth and cry “Shalom
    —a word that He did not put in their mouth—
yet they consecrate war against him:
“Therefore you will have night without vision,
    and darkness without divination.
The sun shall set on the prophets,
    the day shall become dark upon them.”
So the seers will be ashamed
and the diviners will be abashed.
Indeed all of them will cover their lips,
for there will be no answer from God.
Nevertheless I myself am filled with power—
with the Ruach Adonai
with judgment, and with might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
    and to Israel his sin.

Hear this, leaders of the house of Jacob,
rulers of the house of Israel:
You who abhor justice,
and twist everything upright,
10 who build up Zion with bloodshed,
and Jerusalem with injustice.
11 Her leaders give judgment for a bribe.
Her priests give direction for a price.
Her prophets practice divination for money.
Yet they lean on Adonai by saying:
“Is not Adonai in our midst?
No calamity will come upon us!”
12 Therefore, because of you
Zion will become a plowed field.
Yes, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the Temple Mount will become a high place in a forest.

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)