CHAPTER 3

1 For, behold, the Governor, Jehovah of hosts,
Will take away from Jerusalem and Judah
The stay and the strength;
The whole stay of bread;
The whole stay of water;

2 The strong man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;

3 The captain of fifty, and the man of rank,
The senator, and the skilful artificer, and the eloquent. ¹

4 And I will appoint boys to be their rulers,
And babes shall rule over them.

5 The people shall violently oppress each other,
A man his neighbour;
The youth shall behave insolently towards the old man,
The despicable towards the honourable.

6 When every man shall take hold of his brother
Of the family of his father, saying,
Thou hast raiment;
Be thou our ruler;
Let this ruin be under thy hand;

7 He shall swear in that day, saying,
I will not be a healer;
For in my house is neither bread nor raiment;
Therefore make me not a ruler of the people.

8 Verily Jerusalem is ruined,
And Judah is fallen;
Because their tongue And their practices are against Jehovah,
To provoke the eyes of his glory.

9 The proof of their countenance answereth in them; ²
They have declared their sin, as Sodom,
And have not hid it.
Wo to their soul!
For they have brought evil on them.

10 Say ye to the righteous man,
It shall be well;
For they shall eat the fruit of their hands.

11 Wo to the wicked man!
It shall be ill;
For according to the works of his hands
Shall it be rewarded to him.

12 Of my people children are oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O my people!
They who govern thee lead thee astray,
And pervert the way of thy paths.

13 Jehovah standeth to plead,
And standeth up to judge the people.

14 Jehovah will enter into judgment
With the elders of his people,
And with their rulers;
And ye have destroyed the vineyard,
And the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

15 What mean ye that ye crush my people,
And grind the faces of the poor?
Saith the Lord Jehovah of hosts.

16 Jehovah also saith,
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with stretched-forth neck,
And with wandering eyes,
And walk and mince as they go,
And make a tinkling with their feet.

17 Therefore will the Lord make bald
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the Lord will expose their shame.

18 In that day will the Lord take away
Ornaments that tinkled, or were made of net-work, or like a half-moon,

19 Perfumes, bracelets, and head-hands;

20 Bonnets, ornaments of the legs,
Chaplets, neck-amulets, and ear-rings;

21 Rings and nose-jewels,

22 Changeable dresses, mantles,
Upper garments, and hair-ties,

23 Mirrors and fine linens,
Hoods and veils.

24 And instead of a sweet odour there shall be rottenness,
And instead of a girdle, a rent,
And instead of curled locks, baldness;
Instead of a belt, a girdle of sackcloth,
Instead of beauty, burning.

25 Thy men shall fall by the sword,
And thy might in the battle.

26 Her gates shall lament and mourn,
And she, desolate, shall sit on the ground.