1 ¶ For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of the hosts, takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water,

2 t he mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, the fortune-teller and the ancient,

3 t he captain of fifty and the honourable man and the counsellor and the cunning artificer and the eloquent wise man.

4 A nd I will give children to be their princes, and young fools shall rule over them.

5 A nd the people shall do violence, one against another, and each one against his neighbour; the child shall rise up against the ancient and the base against the honourable.

6 W hen a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand;

7 i n that day he shall swear, saying, I will not be a healer for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: do not make me a ruler of the people.

8 F or Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen because their tongue and their doings have been against the LORD, to irritate the eyes of his majesty.

9 ¶ The appearance of their countenance witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

10 S ay unto the righteous that it shall be well with him, for they shall eat of the fruit of their doings.

11 W oe unto the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for according to the work of his hands it shall be done unto him.

12 T he oppressors of my people are many, and women rule over him. O my people, those who lead thee cause thee to err and twist the way of thy paths.

13 T he LORD stands up to litigate and is present to judge the peoples.

14 T he LORD will come with judgment against the elders of his people and against these his princes, for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 W hat do you mean that ye beat my people to pieces and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of the hosts.

16 ¶ Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and swaggering as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

17 T herefore the Lord will make bare the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover that which they are ashamed of.

18 I n that day the Lord will take away the adornment of their shoes and their hair nets and their crystals,

19 t he chains and the jewels and the bracelets,

20 t he bonnets and the ornaments of the legs and the headbands and the powders and the earrings,

21 t he rings, and nose jewels,

22 t he changeable suits of apparel and the mantles and the veils and the crisping pins,

23 t he looking glasses and the fine linen and the hoods and the hairdos.

24 A nd it shall come to pass that instead of sweet perfumes, 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.

25 T hy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

26 T hy gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.