III. * And I said, aHear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob,

aAnd ye bprinces of the house of Israel;

cIs it not for you dto know judgment?

2  Who hate the good, and love the evil;

eWho pluck off their skin from off them,

And their flesh from off their bones;

3  eWho also feat the flesh of my people,

And flay their skin from off them;

And gthey break their bones,

And hchop them in pieces, as for the pot,

And ias flesh within kthe caldron.

4  lThen shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them:

mHe will even hide his face from them at that time,

As they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

5  Thus saith the Lord concerning nothe prophets that make my people err,

pThat bite with their teeth, and nqcry, Peace;

And rhe that putteth not into their mouths,

They even sprepare war against him.

6  Therefore tnight shall be unto you, u* that ye shall not have a vision;

And uit shall be dark unto you, t* that ye shall not vdivine;

And wthe sun shall go down over the prophets,

And wthe day shall be dark over them.

7  Then shall the seers xbe ashamed, and vxthe diviners xconfounded:

Yea, they shall all ycover their * lips;

For zthere is no answer of God.

8  But truly aI am full of power by the spirit of the Lord,

And of judgment, and of might,

bTo declare unto Jacob his transgression,

bAnd to Israel his sin.

9  cHear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob,

cAnd princes of the house of Israel,

That abhor judgment, and dpervert all equity.

10  eThey build up Zion fwith * blood,

And Jerusalem with iniquity.

11  gThe heads thereof judge for reward,

And hthe priests thereof teach for hire,

And hithe prophets thereof vdivine for money:

Yet will they klean upon the Lord, * and say,

lIs not the Lord among us?

mNone evil can come upon us.

12  Therefore nshall Zion nnfor your sake be plowed as a field,

noAnd Jerusalem shall become heaps,

nAnd pthe mountain of the house qas the high places of the forest.