Isaiah 3
3
1Understand what I am telling you: The Lord GOD All-Powerful will take away everything Judah and Jerusalem depend on. He will take away all the food and water. 2He will take away all the heroes and soldiers. He will take away all the judges, the prophets, the fortunetellers, and the elders. 3He will take away the army officers and important officials. He will take away the skilled counselors, the magicians, and those who try to tell the future.
4He says, “I will put young boys in charge of you. They will be your leaders. 5The people will turn against each other. Young people will not respect those who are older. The common people will not respect important leaders.”
6At that time a man will grab one of his brothers from his own family and tell him, “You have a coat,#3:6 coat Or “robe.” This showed that a person was a leader of the people. so you will be our leader. You will be the leader over all these ruins.”
7But the brother will refuse and say, “I cannot help you. I don’t have enough food or clothes for my own family. You will not make me your leader.”
8This will happen because Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen. They turned against the Lord. They said and did things against him, right in front of his glorious eyes.
9The look on their faces shows that they are guilty. They are like the people of Sodom; they don’t care who sees their sin. But it will be very bad for them. They will get what they deserve.
10Tell the good people who do what is right that good things will happen to them. They will receive a reward for what they do. 11But it will be very bad for wicked people, because they, too, will get what they deserve. They will get what they did to others. 12Even children will defeat my people, and women will rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you the wrong way, and they destroy the path you should follow.
God’s Decision About His People
13Look, the Lord is standing to judge his people. 14The Lord is ready to present his case against the elders and leaders of his people.
He says, “You people have burned the vineyard,#3:14 vineyard A garden for growing grapes. Here, this probably means Judah. and what you stole from the poor is still in your houses. 15What gives you the right to hurt my people? What gives you the right to push the faces of the poor into the dirt?” The Lord GOD All-Powerful said this.
16The Lord says, “The women in Zion have become very proud. They walk around with their heads in the air, acting like they are better than other people. They flirt with their eyes and make tinkling sounds with their ankle bracelets as they take their quick little steps.”
17The Lord will put sores on the heads of those women in Zion. The Lord will make their heads bald. 18Then the Lord will take away everything they are proud of: the beautiful ankle bracelets, the necklaces that look like the sun and the moon, 19the earrings, bracelets, and veils, 20the scarves, the ankle chains, the cloth belts worn around their waists, the bottles of perfume, the charms,#3:20 charms Things people wore on bracelets and necklaces. People thought these things would protect them from evil or danger. 21the signet rings, and the nose rings, 22the fine dresses, robes, veils, and purses, 23the mirrors, linen dresses, turbans, and long shawls.
24Those women now have sweet-smelling perfume, but it will get moldy and stink. Now they wear belts, but then they will have only ropes to wear. Now they have their hair fixed in fancy ways, but then their heads will be shaved—they will have no hair.#3:24 they will have no hair This means that they will become slaves. Now they have party dresses, but then they will have only mourning clothes. They have beauty marks on their faces now, but then they will have another mark. It will be a mark burned into their skin to show that they are slaves.
25Your men will be killed with swords. Your heroes will die in war. 26There will be crying and sadness in the meeting places by the city gates. Jerusalem will sit there empty, like a woman who has lost everything to thieves and robbers and now just sits on the ground and cries.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 3
3
Judah’s Leaders Judged
1Note this: The Lord God of Armies
is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah
every kind of security:
the entire supply of bread and water,
2heroes and warriors,#2Kg 24:14; Ezk 17:13–14
judges and prophets,
fortune-tellers and elders,
3commanders of fifty and dignitaries,
counselors, cunning magicians,#3:3 Or skilled craftsmen and necromancers.#3:3 Or mediums
4“I will make youths their leaders,#Ec 10:16
and unstable rulers#3:4 Or mischief-makers will govern them.”
5The people will oppress one another,#Mc 7:3–6
man against man, neighbor against neighbor;
the young will act arrogantly toward the old,
and the worthless toward the honorable.
6A man will even seize his brother
in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak — you be our leader!
This heap of rubble will be under your control.”
7On that day he will cry out, saying,
“I’m not a healer.
I don’t even have food or clothing in my house.
Don’t make me the leader of the people!”
8For Jerusalem has stumbled
and Judah has fallen
because they have spoken and acted against the Lord,#Ps 73:9–11
defying his glorious presence.#Nm 14:22–23; Is 43:7; 48:11; 59:19
9The look on their faces testifies against them,
and like Sodom,#Is 1:9–10; 13:19 they flaunt their sin;
they do not conceal it.
Woe to them,
for they have brought disaster on themselves.#Rm 6:23
10Tell the righteous that it will go well for them,
for they will eat the fruit of their labor.
11Woe to the wicked — it will go badly for them,
for what they have done will be done to them.
12Youths oppress my people,#Is 3:4
and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders mislead you;
they confuse the direction of your paths.#Is 28:14–22
13The Lord rises to argue the case
and stands to judge the people.#Ps 7:6; Hs 4:1
14The Lord brings this charge
against the elders and leaders of his people:#Mc 3:1–3
“You have devastated the vineyard.
The plunder from the poor is in your houses.#Ezk 18:10–18; 33:15
15Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?”
This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.
Jerusalem’s Women Judged
16The Lord also says:
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,#Is 32:9–15; 1Pt 3:3–4
walking with heads held high
and seductive eyes,
prancing along,
jingling their ankle bracelets,
17the Lord will put scabs on the heads
of the daughters of Zion,
and the Lord will shave their foreheads bare.
18On that day#Is 27:12 the Lord will strip their finery: ankle bracelets, headbands, crescents,#Jdg 8:21,26 19pendants, bracelets, veils, 20headdresses, ankle jewelry, sashes, perfume bottles, amulets,#Ezk 24:17 21signet rings, nose rings,#Gn 24:47; Ezk 16:12 22festive robes, capes, cloaks, purses, 23garments, linen clothes, turbans, and shawls.
24Instead of perfume there will be a stench;
instead of a belt, a rope;
instead of beautifully styled hair,#1Pt 3:3 baldness;#Is 15:2; 22:12; Ezk 27:31; Am 8:10; Mc 1:16
instead of fine clothes, sackcloth;#Gn 37:34; Is 15:3; Jr 48:36–38; Lm 2:10
instead of beauty, branding.#3:24 DSS read shame
25Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
26Then her gates#Jr 14:2; Lm 1:4 will lament and mourn;
deserted, she will sit on the ground.#Jb 2:13; Is 47:1; Lm 2:10
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