< Isaiah 3 >

1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, does take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water.
Behold now, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will take away from Jerusalem and from Judea the mighty man and mighty woman, the strength of bread, and the strength of water,
2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
the great and mighty man, the warrior and the judge, and the prophet, and the counsellor, and the elder,
3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
the captain of fifty also, and the honourable counsellor, and the wise artificer, and the intelligent hearer.
4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
And I will make youths their princes, and mockers shall have dominion over them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
And the people shall fall, man upon man, and [every] man upon his neighbor: the child shall insult the elder man, and the base the honourable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, You have clothing, be you our ruler, and let this ruin be under your hand:
For a man shall lay hold of his brother, as one of his father's household, saying, Thou hast raiment, be thou our ruler, and let my meat be under thee.
7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.
And he shall answer in that day, and say, I will not be thy ruler; for I have no bread in my house, nor raiment: I will not be the ruler of this people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judea has fallen, and their tongues [have spoken] with iniquity, disobedient [as they are] towards the Lord.
9 The show of their countenance does witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
Wherefore now their glory has been brought low, and the shame of their countenance has withstood them, and they have proclaimed their sin as Sodom, and made it manifest.
10 Say all of you to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying against themselves, Let us bind the just, for he is burdensome to us: therefore shall they eat the fruits of their works.
11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
Woe to the transgressor! evils shall happen to him according to the works of his hands.
12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead you cause you to go astray, and destroy the way of your paths.
O my people, your exactors strip you, and extortioners rule over you: O my people, they that pronounce you blesses lead you astray, and pervert the path of your feet.
13 The LORD stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people.
But now the Lord will stand up for judgment, and will enter into judgment with his people.
14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for all of you have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
The Lord himself shall enter into judgment with the elders of the people, and with their rulers: but why have ye set my vineyard on fire, and [why is] the spoil of the poor in your houses?
15 What mean all of you that all of you beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? says the Lord GOD of hosts.
Why do ye wrong my people, and shame the face of the poor?
16 Moreover the LORD says, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and moving enticingly as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
Thus saith the Lord, Because the daughters of Sion are haughty, and have walked with an outstretched neck, and with winking of the eyes, and motion of the feet, at the same time drawing their garments in trains, and at the same time sporting 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 discover their secret parts.
therefore the Lord will humble the chief daughters of Sion, and the Lord will expose their form in that day;
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
and the Lord will take away the glory of their raiment, the curls and the fringes, and the crescents,
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the covering for the lower part of the face,
and the chains, and the ornaments of their faces,
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
and the array of glorious ornaments, and the armlets, and the bracelets, and the wreathed work, and the finger-rings, and the ornaments for the right hand,
21 The rings, and nose jewels,
and the ear-rings, and the garments with scarlet borders, and the garments with purple grounds, and the shawls to be worn in the house, and the Spartan transparent dresses, and those made of fine linen, and the purple [ones], and the scarlet [ones], and the fine linen, interwoven with gold and purple, and the light coverings for couches.
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
And there shall be instead of a sweet smell, dust; and instead of a girdle, thou shalt gird thyself with a rope; and instead of a golden ornament for the head, thou shalt have baldness on account of thy works; and instead of a tunic with a scarlet ground, thou shalt gird thyself with sackcloth.
23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
And thy most beautiful son whom thou lovest shall fall by the sword; and your mighty men shall fall by the sword, and shall be brought low.
24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
And the stores of your ornaments shall mourn, and thou shalt be left alone, and shalt be levelled with the ground.
25 Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

< Isaiah 3 >