Isaiah 3

1 For, behold, the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water;2 the mighty man, and the man of war; the judge, and the prophet, and the diviner, and the elder;3 the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and the expert artificer, and the skilful enchanter.4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable.6 When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand;7 in that day shall he lift up his voice, saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: ye shall not make me ruler of the people.8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen; because their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, to provoke the eyes of his glory.9 The show of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have done evil unto themselves.10 Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him; for what his hands have done shall be done unto him.12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they that lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.13 Jehovah standeth up to contend, and standeth to judge the peoples.14 Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof: It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses:15 what mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.16 Moreover Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet;17 therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and Jehovah will lay bare their secret parts.18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, and the cauls, and the crescents;19 the pendants, and the bracelets, and the mufflers;20 the headtires, and the ankle chains, and the sashes, and the perfume-boxes, and the amulets;21 the rings, and the nose-jewels;22 the festival robes, and the mantles, and the shawls, and the satchels;23 the hand-mirrors, and the fine linen, and the turbans, and the veils.24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet spices there shall be rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a robe, a girding of sackcloth; branding instead of beauty.25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit upon the ground.

ISAIAH 3

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

1 The mighty [Lord] All-Powerful
is going to take away
from Jerusalem and Judah
everything you need—
your bread and water,
*

2 soldiers and heroes,
judges and prophets,
leaders and army officers,

3 officials and advisors,
fortunetellers and others
who tell the future.

4 He will let children and babiest
become your rulers.

5 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.

6 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.”

7 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.”

8 Jerusalem and Judah,
you rebelled against
your glorious [Lord]—
your words and your actions,
made you stumble and fall.

9 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 vineyardt
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.