Isaiah 3

Jerusalem on Its Last Legs

1-7 The Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, is emptying Jerusalem and Judah Of all the basic necessities, plain bread and water to begin with. He's withdrawing police and protection, judges and courts, pastors and teachers, captains and generals, doctors and nurses, and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades. He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city. Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around. People will be at each other's throats, stabbing one another in the back: Neighbor against neighbor, young against old, the no-account against the well-respected. One brother will grab another and say, 'You look like you've got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.' And he'll say, 'Me? Not me! I don't have a clue. Don't put me in charge of anything.'

8-9 "Jerusalem's on its last legs. Judah is soon down for the count. Everything people say and do is at cross-purposes with God, a slap in my face. Brazen in their depravity, they flaunt their sins like degenerate Sodom. Doom to their eternal souls! They've made their bed; now they'll sleep in it.

10-11 "Reassure the righteous that their good living will pay off. But doom to the wicked! Disaster! Everything they did will be done to them.

12 "Skinny kids terrorize my people. Silly girls bully them around. My dear people! Your leaders are taking you down a blind alley. They're sending you off on a wild-goose chase."

A City Brought to Her Knees by Her Sorrows

13-15 God enters the courtroom. He takes his place at the bench to judge his people. God calls for order in the court, hauls the leaders of his people into the dock: "You've played havoc with this country. Your houses are stuffed with what you've stolen from the poor. What is this anyway? Stomping on my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt?" That's what the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, says.

16-17 God says, "Zion women are stuck-up, prancing around in their high heels, Making eyes at all the men in the street, swinging their hips, Tossing their hair, gaudy and garish in cheap jewelry." The Master will fix it so those Zion women will all turn bald— Scabby, bald-headed women. The Master will do it.

18-23 The time is coming when the Master will strip them of their fancy baubles—the dangling earrings, anklets and bracelets, combs and mirrors and silk scarves, diamond brooches and pearl necklaces, the rings on their fingers and the rings on their toes, the latest fashions in hats, exotic perfumes and aphrodisiacs, gowns and capes, all the world's finest in fabrics and design.

24 Instead of wearing seductive scents, these women are going to smell like rotting cabbages; Instead of modeling flowing gowns, they'll be sporting rags; Instead of their stylish hairdos, scruffy heads; Instead of beauty marks, scabs and scars.

25-26 Your finest fighting men will be killed, your soldiers left dead on the battlefield. The entrance gate to Zion will be clotted with people mourning their dead— A city stooped under the weight of her loss, brought to her knees by her sorrows.

Isaiah 3

A Coming Leadership Crisis

1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armiest
is about to remove from Jerusalems and Judah
every source of security, includingt
all the food and water,t

2 the mighty men and warriors,
judges and prophets,
omen readers and leaders,t

3 captains of groups of fifty,
the respected citizens,t
advisers and those skilled in magical arts,t
and those who know incantations.

4 The Lord says,t “I will make youths their officials;
malicious young ment will rule over them.

5 The people will treat each other harshly;
men will oppose each other;
neighbors will fight.t
Youths will proudly defy the elderly
and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected.t

6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother
right in his father’s houset and say,t
‘You own a coat –
you be our leader!
This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ts

7 At that timet the brother will shout,t
‘I am no doctor,t
I have no food or coat in my house;
don’t make me a leader of the people!’”

8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles,
Judah falls,
for their words and their actions offend the Lord;t
they rebel against his royal authority.t

9 The look on their facess testifies to their guilt;t
like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin.t
Too bad for them!t
For they bring disaster on themselves.

10 Tell the innocentt it will go well with them,t
for they will be rewarded for what they have done.t

11 Too bad for the wicked sinners!
For they will get exactly what they deserve.t

12 Oppressors treat mys people cruelly;
creditors rule over them.s
My people’s leaders mislead them;
they give you confusing directions.t

13 The Lord takes his position to judge;
he stands up to pass sentence on his people.s

14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment
on the leaders of his people and their officials.
He says,t “It is yout who have ruinedt the vineyard!s
You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.t

15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?”s
The sovereign Lord who commands armiests has spoken.

Washing Away Impurity

16 The Lord says,
“The woment of Zion are proud.
They walk with their heads hight
and flirt with their eyes.
They skip alongt
and the jewelry on their ankles jingles.t

17 Sot the sovereign mastert will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s woment with skin diseases,t
the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.”t
18 s At that timet the sovereign master will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry,t neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments,19 earrings, bracelets, veils,20 headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets,t amulets,21 rings, nose rings,22 festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses,

23 garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns.ts

24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices,t
a rope will replace a belt,
baldness will replace braided locks of hair,
a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,
and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.

25 Yourt men will fall by the sword,
your strong men will die in battle.t

26 Her gates will mourn and lament;
deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground.t