Micah 3

Modern

Literal

Rulers and Prophets Condemned

¹Then I said:

“Hear now, O leaders of Jacob,

you rulers of the house of Israel.

Should you not know justice?

¹And I said: “Hear now, O heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice—

²You hate good and love evil.

You tear the skin from my people

and strip the flesh from their bones.

²those hating good and loving evil, those tearing away their skin from upon them, and their flesh from their bones,

³You eat the flesh of my people

after stripping off their skin

and breaking their bones.

You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot,

like meat in a cauldron.”

³and who eat the flesh of My people, and strip off their skin from them and break their bones and spread them as in the pot, and like flesh in the midst of a cauldron?”

⁴Then they will cry out to the LORD,

but He will not answer them.

At that time He will hide His face from them

because of the evil they have done.

⁴Then they will cry to YHWH, and He will not answer them; and He will hide His face from them at that time, because their deeds have been evil.

⁵This is what the LORD says:

“As for the prophets

who lead My people astray,

who proclaim peace

while they chew with their teeth,

but declare war against one

who puts nothing in their mouths:

⁵Thus says YHWH concerning the prophets leading astray my people, those biting with their teeth while they call out, Peace, and who do not give to their mouth, and they have sanctified against him war:

⁶Therefore night will come over you without visions,

and darkness without divination.

The sun will set on these prophets,

and the daylight will turn black over them.

⁶“Therefore a night is unto you without a vision, and it will grow dark for you without divination, and the sun will go down on the prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them.

⁷Then the seers will be ashamed

and the diviners will be disgraced.

They will all cover their mouths

because there is no answer from God.”

⁷And the seers will be ashamed, and the diviners will be disgraced, and they will cover over their mustache—all of them—for there is no answer from God!”

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

by the Spirit of the LORD,

with justice and courage,

to declare to Jacob his transgression

and to Israel his sin.

⁸However I am filled with power by the Spirit of YHWH, and justice and strength to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

⁹Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob

and rulers of the house of Israel,

who despise justice

and pervert all that is right,

⁹Hear this now, O heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, those abhorring justice, and all that is upright, they pervert,

¹⁰who build Zion with bloodshed

and Jerusalem with iniquity.

¹⁰those building up Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with injustice.

¹¹Her leaders judge for a bribe,

her priests teach for a price,

and her prophets practice divination for money.

Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying,

“Is not the LORD among us?

No disaster can come upon us.”

¹¹Her heads give judgment for a bribe, and her priests give instruction for a price, and her prophets practice divination for silver. And on YHWH they lean, and say, “Is not YHWH among us? No harm can come upon us.”

¹²Therefore, because of you,

Zion will be plowed like a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,

and the temple mount a wooded ridge.

¹²Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the house, like the heights of the forest.