Unjust Leaders Judged

3 Then I said, “Now listen, k leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of the house of Israel.

Aren’t you supposed to know what is just? l

2 You hate good and love evil.

You tear off people’s skin m

and strip their flesh from their bones.

3 You eat the flesh n of my people

after you strip their skin from them

and break their bones.

You chop them up o

like flesh for the cooking pot,

like meat in a cauldron.”

4 Then they will cry out p to the Lord,

but He will not answer them.

He will hide His face from them at that time q

because of the crimes they have committed.

False Prophets Judged

5 This is what the Lord says

concerning the prophets

who lead my people astray, r

who proclaim s peace

when they have food to sink their teeth into

but declare war against the one

who puts nothing in their mouths.

6 Therefore, it will be night t for you—

without visions;

it will grow dark for you—

without * divination. u

The sun will set v on these prophets,

and the daylight will turn black over them.

7 Then the seers will be ashamed w

and the diviners disappointed. x

They will all cover their mouths y z

because there will be no answer from God. a

8 As for me, however, I am filled with power b

by the Spirit of the Lord,

with justice and courage,

to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion

and to Israel his sin. c

Zion’s Destruction

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

you rulers of the house of Israel,

who abhor justice e

and pervert everything that is right,

10 who build * Zion with bloodshed f

and Jerusalem with injustice.

11 Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, g

her priests teach for payment, h

and her prophets practice divination for money.

Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,

“Isn’t the Lord i among us?

No disaster will overtake us.”

12 Therefore, because of you,

Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become ruins, j

and the hill of the temple mount k

will be a thicket. l