1 For lo, the Lord God of hostes will take away from Ierusalem and from Iudah the stay and the strength: euen all the staye of bread, and all the stay of water, 2 The strong man, and the man of warre, the iudge and the prophet, the prudent and the aged, 3 The captaine of fiftie, and the honourable, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent man. 4 And I will appoint children to bee their princes, and babes shall rule ouer them. 5 The people shalbe oppressed one of another, and euery one by his neighbour: the children shall presume against the ancient, and the vile against the honourable. 6 When euery one shall take holde of his brother of the house of his father, and say, Thou hast clothing: thou shalt bee our prince, and let this fall be vnder thine hand. 7 In that day hee shall sweare, saying, I cannot bee an helper: for there is no bread in mine house, nor clothing: therefore make me no prince of the people. 8 Doubtlesse Ierusalem is fallen, and Iudah is fallen downe, because their tongue and workes are against the Lord, to prouoke the eyes of his glory. 9 The triall of their countenance testifieth against them, yea, they declare their sinnes as Sodom, they hide them not. Wo be vnto their soules: for they haue rewarded euil vnto themselues. 10 Say ye, Surely it shalbe well with the iust: for they shall eate the fruite of their workes. 11 Woe be to the wicked, it shalbe euill with him: for the reward of his handes shalbe giuen him. 12 Children are extortioners of my people, and women haue rule ouer them: O my people, they that leade thee, cause thee to erre, and destroy the way of thy paths. 13 The Lord standeth vp to pleade, yea, hee standeth to iudge the people. 14 The Lord shall enter into iudgement with the Ancients of his people and the princes thereof: for ye haue eaten vp the vineyarde: the spoyle of the poore is in your houses. 15 What haue ye to do, that ye beate my people to pieces, and grinde the faces of the poore, saith the Lord, euen the Lord of hoasts? 16 The Lord also saith, Because the daughters of Zion are hautie, and walke with stretched out neckes, and with wandering eyes, walking and minsing as they goe, and making a tinkeling with their feete, 17 Therefore shall the Lord make the heades of the daughters of Zion balde, and the Lord shall discouer their secrete partes. 18 In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers, and the calles, and the round tyres, 19 The sweete balles, and the brasselets, and the bonnets, 20 The tyres of the head, and the sloppes, and the head bandes, and the tablets, and the earings, 21 The rings and the mufflers, 22 The costly apparell and the vailes, and the wimples, and the crisping pinnes, 23 And the glasses and the fine linen, and the hoodes, and the launes. 24 And in steade of sweete sauour, there shall be stinke, and in steade of a girdle, a rent, and in steade of dressing of the heare, baldnesse, and in steade of a stomacher, a girding of sackecloth, and burning in steade of beautie. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sworde, and thy strength in the battell. 26 Then shall her gates mourne and lament, and she, being desolate, shall sit vpon the ground.
Chaos in Jerusalem
1 Now the Lord, the Almighty Lord, is about to take away from Jerusalem and Judah everything and everyone that the people depend on. He is going to take away their food and their water, 2 their heroes and their soldiers, their judges and their prophets, their fortunetellers and their statesmen, 3 their military and civilian leaders, their politicians and everyone who uses magic to control events. 4 The Lord will let the people be governed by immature boys. 5 Everyone will take advantage of everyone else. Young people will not respect their elders, and worthless people will not respect their superiors.
6 A time will come when the members of a clan will choose one of their number and say to him, “You at least have something to wear, so be our leader in this time of trouble.”
7 But he will answer, “Not me! I can't help you. I don't have any food or clothes either. Don't make me your leader!”
8 Yes, Jerusalem is doomed! Judah is collapsing! Everything they say and do is against the Lord; they openly insult God himself. 9 Their prejudices will be held against them. They sin as openly as the people of Sodom did. They are doomed, and they have brought it on themselves.
10 The righteous will be happy, and things will go well for them. They will get to enjoy what they have worked for. 11 But evil people are doomed; what they have done to others will now be done to them.
12 Moneylenders oppress my people, and their creditors cheat them.
My people, your leaders are misleading you, so that you do not know which way to turn.
The Lord Judges His People
13 The Lord is ready to state his case; he is ready to judge his people. 14 The Lord is bringing the elders and leaders of his people to judgment. He makes this accusation: “You have plundered vineyards, and your houses are full of what you have taken from the poor. 15 You have no right to crush my people and take advantage of the poor. I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
A Warning to the Women of Jerusalem
16 The Lord said, “Look how proud the women of Jerusalem are! They walk along with their noses in the air. They are always flirting. They take dainty little steps, and the bracelets on their ankles jingle. 17 But I will punish them—I will shave their heads and leave them bald.”
18 A day is coming when the Lord will take away from the women of Jerusalem everything they are so proud of—the ornaments they wear on their ankles, on their heads, on their necks, 19 and on their wrists. He will take away their veils 20 and their hats; the magic charms they wear on their arms and at their waists; 21 the rings they wear on their fingers and in their noses; 22 all their fine robes, gowns, cloaks, and purses; 23 their revealing garments, their linen handkerchiefs, and the scarves and long veils they wear on their heads.
24 Instead of using perfumes, they will stink; instead of fine belts, they will wear coarse ropes; instead of having beautiful hair, they will be bald; instead of fine clothes, they will be dressed in rags; their beauty will be turned to shame!
25 The men of the city, yes, even the strongest men, will be killed in war. 26 The city gates will mourn and cry, and the city itself will be like a woman sitting on the ground, stripped naked.