Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah
1 The mighty Lord All-Powerful
is going to take away
from Jerusalem and Judah
everything you need—
your bread and water,
* 2 soldiers and heroes,
judges and prophets,
leaders and army officers,
3 officials and advisors,
fortunetellers and others
who tell the future.
4 He will let children and babies
become your rulers.
5 You will each be cruel
to friends and neighbors.
Young people will insult
their elders;
no one will show respect
to those who deserve it.
6 Some of you will grab hold
of a relative and say,
“You still have a coat.
Be our leader and rule
this pile of ruins.”
7 But the answer will be,
“I can't do you any good.
Don't make me your leader.
There's no food or clothing
left in my house.”
8 Jerusalem and Judah,
you rebelled against
your glorious Lord—
your words and your actions,
made you stumble and fall.
9 The look on your faces shows
that you are sinful as Sodom,
and you don't try to hide it.
You are in for trouble,
and you have brought it all
on yourselves.
The Wrong Kind of Leaders
10 Tell those who obey God,
“You're very fortunate—
you will be rewarded
for what you have done.”
11 Tell those who disobey,
“You're in big trouble—
what you did to others
will come back to you.”
12 Though you are God's people,
you are ruled and abused
by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
down the wrong path.
13 The Lord is ready to accuse
and judge all nations.
14 He will even judge
you rulers and leaders
of his own nation.
You destroyed his vineyard
and filled your houses
by robbing the poor.
15 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“You have crushed my people
and rubbed in the dirt
the faces of the poor.”
The Women of Jerusalem
16 The Lord says:
The women of Jerusalem
are proud and strut around,
winking shamelessly.
They wear anklets that jingle
and call attention
to the way they walk.
17 But I, the Lord, will cover
their heads with sores,
and I will uncover
their private parts.
18-23 When that day comes, I will take away from those women all the fine jewelry they wear on their ankles, heads, necks, ears, arms, noses, fingers, and on their clothes. I will remove their veils, their belts, their perfume, their magic charms, their royal robes, and all their fancy dresses, hats, and purses.
24 In place of perfume,
there will be a stink;
in place of belts,
there will be ropes;
in place of fancy hairdos,
they will have bald heads.
Instead of expensive clothes,
they will wear sackcloth;
instead of beauty,
they will have ugly scars.
25 The fighting men of Jerusalem
will be killed in battle.
26 The city will mourn
and sit in the dirt,
emptied of its people.
1 For lo, the Lord God of hostes will take away from Ierusalem and from Iudah the stay and the strength: euen all the staye of bread, and all the stay of water, 2 The strong man, and the man of warre, the iudge and the prophet, the prudent and the aged, 3 The captaine of fiftie, and the honourable, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent man. 4 And I will appoint children to bee their princes, and babes shall rule ouer them. 5 The people shalbe oppressed one of another, and euery one by his neighbour: the children shall presume against the ancient, and the vile against the honourable. 6 When euery one shall take holde of his brother of the house of his father, and say, Thou hast clothing: thou shalt bee our prince, and let this fall be vnder thine hand. 7 In that day hee shall sweare, saying, I cannot bee an helper: for there is no bread in mine house, nor clothing: therefore make me no prince of the people. 8 Doubtlesse Ierusalem is fallen, and Iudah is fallen downe, because their tongue and workes are against the Lord, to prouoke the eyes of his glory. 9 The triall of their countenance testifieth against them, yea, they declare their sinnes as Sodom, they hide them not. Wo be vnto their soules: for they haue rewarded euil vnto themselues. 10 Say ye, Surely it shalbe well with the iust: for they shall eate the fruite of their workes. 11 Woe be to the wicked, it shalbe euill with him: for the reward of his handes shalbe giuen him. 12 Children are extortioners of my people, and women haue rule ouer them: O my people, they that leade thee, cause thee to erre, and destroy the way of thy paths. 13 The Lord standeth vp to pleade, yea, hee standeth to iudge the people. 14 The Lord shall enter into iudgement with the Ancients of his people and the princes thereof: for ye haue eaten vp the vineyarde: the spoyle of the poore is in your houses. 15 What haue ye to do, that ye beate my people to pieces, and grinde the faces of the poore, saith the Lord, euen the Lord of hoasts? 16 The Lord also saith, Because the daughters of Zion are hautie, and walke with stretched out neckes, and with wandering eyes, walking and minsing as they goe, and making a tinkeling with their feete, 17 Therefore shall the Lord make the heades of the daughters of Zion balde, and the Lord shall discouer their secrete partes. 18 In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers, and the calles, and the round tyres, 19 The sweete balles, and the brasselets, and the bonnets, 20 The tyres of the head, and the sloppes, and the head bandes, and the tablets, and the earings, 21 The rings and the mufflers, 22 The costly apparell and the vailes, and the wimples, and the crisping pinnes, 23 And the glasses and the fine linen, and the hoodes, and the launes. 24 And in steade of sweete sauour, there shall be stinke, and in steade of a girdle, a rent, and in steade of dressing of the heare, baldnesse, and in steade of a stomacher, a girding of sackecloth, and burning in steade of beautie. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sworde, and thy strength in the battell. 26 Then shall her gates mourne and lament, and she, being desolate, shall sit vpon the ground.