Isaiah 3

Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem

1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah The stock and the store, The whole supply of bread and the whole supply 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, The counselor and the skillful artisan, And the expert enchanter.4 I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.5 The people will be oppressed, Every one by another and every one by his neighbor; The child will be insolent toward the elder, And the base toward the honorable.6 When a man takes hold of his brother In the house of his father, saying, You have clothing; You be our ruler, And let these ruins be under your power,7 In that day he will protest, saying, I cannot cure your ills, For in my house is neither food nor clothing; Do not make me a ruler of the people.8 For Jerusalem stumbled, And Judah is fallen, Because their tongue and their doings Are against the Lord, To provoke the eyes of His glory.9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.10 Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.12  As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths.

Oppression and Luxury Condemned

13 The Lord stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people.14 The Lord will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses.15 What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor? Says the Lord God of hosts.16 Moreover the Lord says: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, Making a jingling with their feet,17 Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, And the Lord will uncover their secret parts.18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;20 The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms,21 and the rings; The nose jewels,22 the festal apparel, and the mantles; The outer garments, the purses,23 and the mirrors; The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.24 And so it shall be: Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; Instead of a sash, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, baldness; Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.25 Your men shall fall by the sword, And your mighty in the war.26 Her gates shall lament and mourn, And she being desolate shall sit on the ground.

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