1 F or 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;

See, the Lord, the Lord God of All, is going to take away from Jerusalem and Judah all they have to keep themselves alive and safe, all the bread and all the water.

2 T he mighty man and the man of war, The judge and the prophet, And the diviner and the elder;

He will take away the strong man, the man of war, the man who judges, the man who tells what will happen in the future, the man who uses secret ways, and the leader.

3 T he captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the skillful artisan, And the expert enchanter.

He will take away the captain of fifty, the man of honor, the wise man, the able workman, and the one who uses secret powers.

4 “ I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.

I will make boys their rulers. Foolish children will rule over them.

5 T he 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.”

The people will make it hard for each other. Each one will hurt the other, and each one will be hurt by his neighbor. The younger will show anger toward the older. And the man who is not respected will show anger toward the man of honor.

6 W hen 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,”

A man will take hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying, “You have a coat. You will be our ruler. This destroyed city will be under your rule.”

7 I n 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.”

In that day he will call out, “I can not be of help to you. For in my house there is no bread or coat. You should not choose me to be ruler of the people.”

8 F or Jerusalem stumbled, And Judah is fallen, Because their tongue and their doings Are against the Lord, To provoke the eyes of His glory.

For Jerusalem has no strength, and Judah has fallen, because their speaking and their actions are against the Lord. They have turned against His shining-greatness.

9 T he 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.

The look on their faces speaks against them. They show their sin like Sodom. They do not even hide it. It is bad for them! For they have brought trouble upon themselves.

10 “ Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

Tell those who are right and good that it will go well for them. For they will enjoy the fruit of what they do.

11 W oe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.

It will be bad for the sinful man! It will not go well for him, for what he has done will be done to him.

12 A s 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

O My people! Children make it hard for them. And women rule over them. O My people! Your leaders lead you in the wrong way. You do not know which path to take. The Lord Will Judge His People

13 T he Lord stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people.

The Lord is ready to say what He thinks and stands to judge the people.

14 T he 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.

The Lord judges the leaders and rulers of His people: “It is you who have destroyed the grape-field. What had belonged to the poor is in your houses.

15 W hat do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord God of hosts.

What do you mean by crushing My people, and grinding the faces of the poor?” says the Lord God of All. Women of Jerusalem Will Suffer

16 M oreover 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,

The Lord said, “The daughters of Zion are proud. They walk with heads held high and a wrong desire in their eyes. They walk with short steps, making noise with the chains on their ankles.

17 T herefore 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.”

So the Lord will make sores come upon the heads of the daughters of Zion, and take the hair from their head.

18 I n that day the Lord will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;

In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their ankle chains, headbands, moon-like objects,

19 T he pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;

rings worn on their ears and arms, face-coverings,

20 T he headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; The perfume boxes, the charms,

head-dresses, leg-chains, wide belts, perfume boxes, objects with secret powers,

21 a nd the rings; The nose jewels,

finger rings, nose rings,

22 t he festal apparel, and the mantles; The outer garments, the purses,

bright clothing, coats, money-bags,

23 a nd the mirrors; The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.

hand mirrors, underclothes, head-coverings, and face-coverings.

24 A nd 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.

Instead of sweet perfume there will be a bad smell. Instead of a belt there will be a rope. Instead of well set hair there will be no hair. Instead of fine clothes they will wear cloth made from hair. And there will be burnt marks instead of beauty.

25 Y our men shall fall by the sword, And your mighty in the war.

Your men will fall by the sword. Your strong ones will fall in battle.

26 H er gates shall lament and mourn, And she being desolate shall sit on the ground.

Jerusalem’s gates will be filled with sorrow. She will sit on the ground, laid waste and empty.