مِيخَا 3

١ 1 وَقُلْتُ: «ٱسْمَعُوا يَا رُؤَسَاءَ يَعْقُوبَ، وَقُضَاةَ بَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ. أَلَيْسَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تَعْرِفُوا ٱلْحَقَّ؟

I also said: ‘Listen now, leaders of Jacob, judges of the house of Israel. Is it not your duty to know what is the right?

٢ 2 ٱلْمُبْغِضِينَ ٱلْخَيْرَ وَٱلْمُحِبِّينَ ٱلشَّرَّ، ٱلنَّازِعِينَ جُلُودَهُمْ عَنْهُمْ، وَلَحْمَهُمْ عَنْ عِظَامِهِمْ.

Haters of that which is good and lovers of evil!

٣ 3 وَٱلَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ لَحْمَ شَعْبِي، وَيَكْشُطُونَ جِلْدَهُمْ عَنْهُمْ، وَيُهَشِّمُونَ عِظَامَهُمْ، وَيُشَقِّقُونَ كَمَا فِي ٱلْقِدْرِ، وَكَٱللَّحْمِ فِي وَسَطِ ٱلْمِقْلَى».

‘They devour the flesh of my people, and their hide they strip from off them, and break in pieces and serve up their bones, like meat in a pot or the cooking pan!

٤ 4 حِينَئِذٍ يَصْرُخُونَ إِلَى ٱلرَّبِّ فَلَا يُجِيبُهُمْ، بَلْ يَسْتُرُ وَجْهَهُ عَنْهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ ٱلْوَقْتِ كَمَا أَسَاءُوا أَعْمَالَهُمْ.

‘Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not pay attention to them. He will hide his face from them at that time because they have committed such crimes.’

٥ 5 هَكَذَا قَالَ ٱلرَّبُّ عَلَى ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَ شَعْبِي، ٱلَّذِينَ يَنْهَشُونَ بِأَسْنَانِهِمْ، وَيُنَادُونَ: «سَلَامٌ»! وَٱلَّذِي لَا يَجْعَلُ فِي أَفْوَاهِهِمْ شَيْئًا، يَفْتَحُونَ عَلَيْهِ حَرْبًا:

Therefore the Lord says: ‘To the prophets who lead my people astray, who when they have food between their teeth declare peace, but against one who puts nothing in their mouths, they proclaim an open war!

٦ 6 «لِذَلِكَ تَكُونُ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةٌ بِلَا رُؤْيَا. ظَلَامٌ لَكُمْ بِدُونِ عِرَافَةٍ. وَتَغِيبُ ٱلشَّمْسُ عَنِ ٱلْأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَيُظْلِمُ عَلَيْهِمِ ٱلنَّهَارُ.

‘Night will overtake you so that you have no vision, and darkness so that there will be no divination, and the sun will go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.

٧ 7 فَيَخْزَى ٱلرَّاؤُونَ، وَيَخْجَلُ ٱلْعَرَّافُونَ، وَيُغَطُّونَ كُلُّهُمْ شَوَارِبَهُمْ، لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ جَوَابٌ مِنَ ٱللهِ».

‘The seers will be ashamed, and the diviners will turn pale, all of them will cover their mouths. For there will be no answer from God.

٨ 8 لَكِنَّنِي أَنَا مَلْآنٌ قُوَّةَ رُوحِ ٱلرَّبِّ وَحَقًّا وَبَأْسًا، لِأُخَبِّرَ يَعْقُوبَ بِذَنْبِهِ وَإِسْرَائِيلَ بِخَطِيَّتِهِ.

‘But I, on the contrary am full of power, and the sense of justice and strength, to make known to Jacob his crime, and to Israel his sin.

٩ 9 اِسْمَعُوا هَذَا يَا رُؤَسَاءَ بَيْتِ يَعْقُوبَ وَقُضَاةَ بَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْرَهُونَ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيُعَوِّجُونَ كُلَّ مُسْتَقِيمٍ.

‘Hear this, leaders of the house of Jacob, judges of the house of Israel, you who spurn justice, and make all that is straight crooked,

١٠ 10 ٱلَّذِينَ يَبْنُونَ صِهْيَوْنَ بِٱلدِّمَاءِ، وَأُورُشَلِيمَ بِٱلظُّلْمِ.

who build Zion with acts of bloodshed, and Jerusalem with crime.

١١ 11 رُؤَسَاؤُهَا يَقْضُونَ بِٱلرَّشْوَةِ، وَكَهَنَتُهَا يُعَلِّمُونَ بِٱلْأُجْرَةِ، وَأَنْبِيَاؤُهَا يَعْرِفُونَ بِٱلْفِضَّةِ، وَهُمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ عَلَى ٱلرَّبِّ قَائِلِينَ: «أَلَيْسَ ٱلرَّبُّ فِي وَسَطِنَا؟ لَا يَأْتِي عَلَيْنَا شَرٌّ!».

‘The leaders render judgment for a bribe, and her priests give oracles for a reward, and her prophets divine for silver. Yet they claim to rely on the Lord, “The Lord”, they say, “is in our midst. Evil cannot overtake us.”

١٢ 12 لِذَلِكَ بِسَبَبِكُمْ تُفْلَحُ صِهْيَوْنُ كَحَقْلٍ، وَتَصِيرُ أُورُشَلِيمُ خِرَبًا، وَجَبَلُ ٱلْبَيْتِ شَوَامِخَ وَعْرٍ.

‘Therefore for your sakes Zion will be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the temple mount a wooded height.’