Micah 3

UNJUST LEADERS JUDGED

3Then I said, “Now listen,^aj leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of the house of Israel.

Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?^ak

²You hate good and love evil.

You tear off people’s skin^al

and strip their flesh from their bones.

³You eat the flesh^am of my people

after you strip their skin from them

and break their bones.

You chop them up^an

like flesh for the cooking pot,

like meat in a cauldron.”

⁴Then they will cry out^ao to the Lord,

but he will not answer them.

He will hide his face from them at that time^ap

because of the crimes they have committed.

FALSE PROPHETS JUDGED

⁵This is what the Lord says

concerning the prophets

who lead my people astray,^aq

who proclaim^ar peace

when they have food to sink their teeth into

but declare war against the one

who puts nothing in their mouths.

⁶Therefore, it will be night^as for you—

without visions;

it will grow dark for you—

without divination.^a

The sun will set^b on these prophets,

and the daylight will turn black over them.

⁷Then the seers will be ashamed^c

and the diviners disappointed.^d

They will all cover their mouths^Be

because there will be no answer from God.^f

⁸As for me, however, I am filled with power^g

by the Spirit of the Lord,

with justice and courage,

to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion

and to Israel his sin.^h

ZION’S DESTRUCTION

⁹Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,ⁱ

you rulers of the house of Israel,

who abhor justice^j

and pervert everything that is right,

¹⁰who build Zion with bloodshed^k

and Jerusalem with injustice.

¹¹Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,^l

her priests teach for payment,^m

and her prophets practice divination for silver.

Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,

“Isn’t the Lordⁿ among us?

No disaster will overtake us.”

¹²Therefore, because of you,

Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become ruins,^o

and the temple’s mountain^p

will be a high thicket.^q