God Will Remove the Leaders

For behold, the Lord [a]God of armies (A)is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
Both supply and support, the entire supply of bread
And the entire supply of water;
(B)The mighty man and the warrior,
The judge and the prophet,
The diviner and the elder,
The captain of fifty and the esteemed person,
The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.
And I will make mere (C)boys their leaders,
And [b]mischievous children will rule over them,
And the people will be (D)oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his (E)neighbor;
The youth will assault the elder,
And the contemptible person will assault the one honored.
When a man (F)lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler!
And these ruins will be under your [c]authority,”
He will [d]protest on that day, saying,
“I will not be your [e](G)healer,
For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;
You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 3:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Isaiah 3:4 Or arbitrary power will rule
  3. Isaiah 3:6 Lit hand
  4. Isaiah 3:7 Lit lift up his voice
  5. Isaiah 3:7 Lit binder of wounds

Judgment against Judah

The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    will take away from Jerusalem and Judah
everything they depend on:
    every bit of bread
    and every drop of water,
all their heroes and soldiers,
    judges and prophets,
    fortune-tellers and elders,
army officers and high officials,
    advisers, skilled sorcerers, and astrologers.

I will make boys their leaders,
    and toddlers their rulers.
People will oppress each other—
    man against man,
    neighbor against neighbor.
Young people will insult their elders,
    and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.

In those days a man will say to his brother,
“Since you have a coat, you be our leader!
    Take charge of this heap of ruins!”
But he will reply,
    “No! I can’t help.
I don’t have any extra food or clothes.
    Don’t put me in charge!”

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