| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, | 1The Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, will take away from Jerusalem and Judah everything they depend on: every bit of bread and every drop of water, |
| 2The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, | 2all their heroes and soldiers, judges and prophets, fortune-tellers and elders, |
| 3The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. | 3army officers and high officials, advisers, skilled sorcerers, and astrologers. |
| 4And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. | 4I will make boys their leaders, and toddlers their rulers. |
| 5And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. | 5People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable. |
| 6When 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: | 6In those days a man will say to his brother, “Since you have a coat, you be our leader! Take charge of this heap of ruins!” |
| 7In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people. | 7But he will reply, “No! I can’t help. I don’t have any extra food or clothes. Don’t put me in charge!” |
| 8For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. | 8For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face. |
| 9The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. | 9The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don’t even try to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves. |
| 10Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. | 10Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned! |
| 11Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. | 11But the wicked are doomed, for they will get exactly what they deserve. |
| 12As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. | 12Childish leaders oppress my people, and women rule over them. O my people, your leaders mislead you; they send you down the wrong road. |
| 13The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. | 13The LORD takes his place in court and presents his case against his people. |
| 14The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. | 14The LORD comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: “You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. |
| 15What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts. | 15How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?” demands the Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. A Warning to Jerusalem |
| 16Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: | 16The LORD says, “Beautiful Zion is haughty: craning her elegant neck, flirting with her eyes, walking with dainty steps, tinkling her ankle bracelets. |
| 17Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. | 17So the Lord will send scabs on her head; the LORD will make beautiful Zion bald.” |
| 18In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, | 18On that day of judgment the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful: ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces, |
| 19The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, | 19earrings, bracelets, and veils; |
| 20The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, | 20scarves, ankle bracelets, sashes, perfumes, and charms; |
| 21The rings, and nose jewels, | 21rings, jewels, |
| 22The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, | 22party clothes, gowns, capes, and purses; |
| 23The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. | 23mirrors, fine linen garments, head ornaments, and shawls. |
| 24And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell 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. | 24Instead of smelling of sweet perfume, she will stink. She will wear a rope for a sash, and her elegant hair will fall out. She will wear rough burlap instead of rich robes. Shame will replace her beauty. |
| 25Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. | 25The men of the city will be killed with the sword, and her warriors will die in battle. |
| 26And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground. | 26The gates of Zion will weep and mourn. The city will be like a ravaged woman, huddled on the ground. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|
