Israel’s Leaders Denounced
- “Listen, O heads of Jacob
- and leaders of the house of Israel!
- Is it not for you to know justice?
- 2 Those of you who are haters of good and lovers of evil,
- who tear their skin from them
- and their flesh from their bones,
- 3 and strip their skin from them,
- and break their bones,
- and chop them like meat in the pot,
- and like flesh in the midst of a cooking pot.”
- 4 but he will not answer them.
- He will hide his face from them at that time,
- when they have made their deeds evil.
- 5 who are leading my people astray,
- who are biting with their teeth
- but whoever puts nothing into their mouths
- they declare war against.
- 6 it will be as night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination.
- And the sun will set on the prophets,
- and the day will grow dark over them.
- 7 and those practicing divination will be put to shame.
- All of them will cover their lips,
- for there is no reply from God.
- 8 with power, with the Spirit of Yahweh,
- and with justice and might,
- to declare to Jacob his rebellion,
- and to Israel his sin.
- 9 and leaders of the house of Israel,
- those detesting justice
- and perverting all that is right,
- 10 and Jerusalem with wickedness.
- 11 its priests teach for a price;
- its prophets practice divination for money.
- But they lean on Yahweh, saying,
- “ Is not Yahweh in our midst?
- Disaster will not come upon us.”
- 12 Zion will be plowed as a field,
- and Jerusalem will be a heap of rubble,
- and[fn] as a high place in a forest.