Rulers and Prophets Denounced
And I said:
aHear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
bIs it not for you to know justice?—
2 you awho hate the good and love the evil,
bwho tear the skin from off my people
and their flesh from off their bones,
3 awho eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
and chop them up like meat in a pot,
like flesh in a cauldron.
4 aThen they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not answer them;
bhe will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning athe prophets
who lead my people astray,
bwho cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore ait shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
bThe sun shall go down on the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 athe seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
bthey shall all cover their lips,
for cthere is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, aI am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob bhis transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 aHear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
bwho detest justice
and make crooked all that is straight,
10 awho build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 aIts heads give judgment for a bribe;
bits priests teach for a price;
cits prophets practice divination for money;
dyet they lean on the Lord and esay,
“Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
fNo disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
aZion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem bshall become a heap of ruins,
and cthe mountain of the house da wooded height.