Isaiah 3

God Will Remove the Leaders

1For behold, the Lord 1God of hosts 2is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both 3supply and support, the whole 4supply of bread And the whole 5supply of water;26The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder,3The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter.4And I will make mere 7lads their princes, And 8capricious children will rule over them,5And the people will be 9oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his 10neighbor; The youth will storm against the elder And the inferior against the honorable.6When a man 11lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying, “You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler, And these ruins will be under your 12charge,”7He will 13protest on that day, saying, “I will not be your 1415healer, For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”8For 16Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their 1718speech and their actions are against the Lord, To 19rebel against 20His glorious presence.921The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like 22Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to 23them! For they have 24brought evil on themselves.10Say to the 25righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions.11Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For 2627what he deserves will be done to him.12O My people! Their oppressors 28are 29children, And women rule over them. O My people! 30Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths.

God Will Judge

1331The Lord arises to contend, And stands to judge the people.14The Lord 32enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you who have 33devoured the vineyard; The 34plunder of the poor is in your houses.15What do you mean by 35crushing My people And grinding the face of the poor?” Declares the Lord 36God of hosts.

Judah’s Women Denounced

16Moreover, the Lord said, “Because the 37daughters of Zion are proud And walk with 38heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps And tinkle the bangles on their feet,17Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And the Lord will make their foreheads bare.” 18In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, 39crescent ornaments, 19dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 2040headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 2141finger rings, 42nose rings, 22festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils.24Now it will come about that instead of 43sweet 44perfume there will be putrefaction; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of 45well-set hair, a 46plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a 47donning of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.25Your men will 48fall by the sword And your 49mighty ones in battle.26And her 5051gates will lament and mourn, And deserted she will 52sit on the ground.