Unjust Leaders Judged

1Then I said, “Now listen,a leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of the house of Israel.

Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?b

2You hate good and love evil.

You tear off people’s skina

and strip their flesh from their bones.

3You eat the flesha of my people

after you strip their skin from them

and break their bones.

You chop them upb

like flesh for the cooking pot,

like meat in a cauldron.”

4Then they will cry outa to the Lord,

but he will not answer them.

He will hide his face from them at that timeb

because of the crimes they have committed.

False Prophets Judged

5This is what the Lord says

concerning the prophets

who lead my people astray,a

who proclaimb peace

when they have food to sink their teeth into

but declare war against the one

who puts nothing in their mouths.

6Therefore, it will be nighta for you —

without visions;

it will grow dark for you —

without divination.b

The sun will setc on these prophets,

and the daylight will turn black over them.

7Then the seers will be ashameda

and the diviners disappointed.b

They will all cover their mouthsa c

because there will be no answer from God.d

8As for me, however, I am filled with powera

by the Spirit of the Lord,

with justice and courage,

to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion

and to Israel his sin.b

Zion’s Destruction

9Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,a

you rulers of the house of Israel,

who abhor justiceb

and pervert everything that is right,

10who build Zion with bloodsheda

and Jerusalem with injustice.

11Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,a

her priests teach for payment,b

and her prophets practice divination for silver.

Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,

“Isn’t the Lordc among us?

No disaster will overtake us.”

12Therefore, because of you,

Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become ruins,a

and the temple’s mountainb

will be a high thicket.c