OET-RV MIC Chapter 3

3 Then I said, “Now listen,

you leaders of Yakob (Jacob),

≈and rulers of the house of Yisra’el (Israel):

Isn’t it your responsibility to understand justice?

2 Those who hate good

≈and love evil,

those who tear their skin off them

≈and their flesh from their bones,

3 those who eat the flesh of my people,

≈and their skin that they’ve stripped off them,

they break their bones,

≈and chop them in pieces,

just like soup in a pot—

≈like meat in a cauldron.

4 Then they’ll call out to Yahweh for help,

but he won’t answer them.

≈He’ll hide himself from them at that time,

because they’ve done evil things.”

5 So Yahweh speaks out against the ‘prophets’ who lead his people astray:

“They lie through their teeth and proclaim, ‘Peace.’

They’re fighting against the one who never put a single word into their mouths.

6 Therefore, it’ll be night for you prophets, without any visions.

≈It will be dark for you all, without any prophesying.

The sun will go down on the ‘prophets’,

≈and the day will be black for them.

7 The tellers of the future will be put to shame,

≈and the diviners will be disgraced.

They will cover their lips, all of them,

≈because there’ll be no answer from God.”

8 But I’m full of power from Yahweh’s spirit,

≈and full of justice and strength,

to declare to Yakob his disobedience,

≈and to Yisra’el his sin.

9 Now listen to this,

you leaders of the house of Yakob,

≈and rulers of the house of Yisra’el,

you all who detest justice,

≈and who take everything that’s right and make it crooked.

10 You build Tsiyyon (Zion) with blood

≈and Yerushalem with evil.

11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,

≈her priests teach for a price,

≈and her prophets do divination for money.

Yet they claim to depend on Yahweh, and they say,

“Isn’t Yahweh right here with us?

Nothing bad can happen to us.”

12 Therefore, because of you all,

≈Tsiyyon will become a ploughed field,

≈Yerushalem will become a heap of rubble,

≈and the temple hill will become covered with scrub.[ref]