Isaiah 3:1-14 ▼

1 |Note this! The Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah everything that your society needs— all food supplies and all water supplies,

2 the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the fortune-teller and the elder,

3 the commander of fifty and the man of rank, and the counselor, the expert magician, and the medium.

4 |I will make youths their princes, and infants will rule over them.

5 People will oppress one another— It will be man against man and neighbor against neighbor. The young will be disrespectful to the old, and the worthless to the honorable.

6 |For a man will grab his brother in his own father's house, and say, 'You have a cloak, so you be our leader, and this heap of ruins will be under your rule!'

7 |But at that time, he'll protest! He'll say, 'I won't be your healer. I have neither food nor clothing in my house! You're not going to make me a leader of the people!'

8 |For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because what they say and do opposes the LORD; they keep defying him.

9 |The expressions on their faces give them away. They parade their sin around like Sodom; they don't even try to hide it. How horrible it will be for them, because they have brought disaster on themselves!|

10 |Tell the righteous that things will go well, because they will enjoy the fruit of their actions.|

11 |How terrible it will be for the wicked! Disaster is headed their way, because what they did with their hand will be repaid to them.

12 |As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, your leaders are misleading you— they're giving you confusing directions.|

13 The LORD is taking his place to argue his case; he's standing up to judge the people.

14 The LORD will go to court to oppose the elders and princes of his people: |You're the ones who have been devouring the vineyard, the plunder of the poor is in your own houses!