Judgment against Judah and Jerusalem

1For, lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is turning aside from Jerusalem, And from Judah, stay and staff, Every stay of bread, and every stay of water.

2Hero and man of war, judge and prophet, And diviner and elder,

3Head of fifty, and accepted of faces, And counsellor, and the wise of artificers, And the intelligent of charmers.

4And I have made youths their heads, And sucklings rule over them.

5And the people hath exacted—man upon man, Even a man on his neighbour, Enlarge themselves do the youths against the aged, And the lightly esteemed against the honoured.

6When one layeth hold on his brother, [Of] the house of his father, [by] the garment, ‘Come, a ruler thou art to us, And this ruin [is] under thy hand.’

7He lifteth up, in that day, saying: ‘I am not a binder up, And in my house is neither bread nor garment, Ye do not make me a ruler of the people.’

8For stumbled hath Jerusalem, and Judah hath fallen, For their tongue and their doings [are] against Jehovah, To provoke the eyes of His glory.

9The appearance of their faces witnessed against them, And their sin, as Sodom, they declared, They have not hidden! Wo to their soul, For they have done to themselves evil.

10Say ye to the righteous, that [it is] good, Because the fruit of their doings they eat.

11Wo to the wicked—evil, Because the deed of his hand is done to him.

12My people—its exactors [are] sucklings, And women have ruled over it. My people—thy eulogists are causing to err, And the way of thy paths swallowed up.

13Jehovah hath stood up to plead, And He is standing to judge the peoples.

14Jehovah into judgment doth enter With elders of His people, and its heads: ‘And ye, ye have consumed the vineyard, Plunder of the poor [is] in your houses.

15What—to you? ye bruise My people, And the faces of the poor ye grind.’ An affirmation of the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, And Jehovah saith:

16‘Because that daughters of Zion have been haughty, And they walk stretching out the neck, And deceiving [with] the eyes, Walking and mincing they go, And with their feet they make a tinkling,

17The Lord also hath scabbed The crown of the head of daughters of Zion, And Jehovah their simplicity exposeth.

18In that day doth the Lord turn aside The beauty of the tinkling ornaments, And of the embroidered works, And of the round tires like moons, 19Of the drops, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20Of the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, And of the bands, And of the perfume boxes, and the amulets, 21Of the seals, and of the nose-rings, 22Of the costly apparel, and of the mantles, And of the coverings, and of the purses, 23Of the mirrors, and of the linen garments, And of the hoods, and of the vails,

24And it hath been, instead of spice is muck, And instead of a girdle, a rope, And instead of curled work, baldness, And instead of a stomacher a girdle of sackcloth.

25For instead of glory, thy men by sword do fall, And thy might in battle.

26And lamented and mourned have her openings, Yea, she hath been emptied, on the earth she sitteth!