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21 How the faithful city has become a prostitute!
    She was full of justice.
Righteousness lodged in her,
    but now there are murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
    your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves.
    Everyone loves bribes and follows after rewards.
    They don’t defend the fatherless,
    neither does the cause of the widow come to them.

24 Therefore the Lord,[a] Yahweh of Armies,
    the Mighty One of Israel, says:
“Ah, I will get relief from my adversaries,
    and avenge myself on my enemies.
25 I will turn my hand on you,
    thoroughly purge away your dross,
    and will take away all your tin.[b]
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
    and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called ‘The city of righteousness,
    a faithful town.’

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Footnotes

  1. 1:24 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”
  2. 1:25 tin is a metal that is separated from silver during the refining and purification process.

The Degenerate City

21 How the faithful city
    has become a prostitute!
    She that was full of justice,
righteousness lodged in her—
    but now murderers!(A)
22 Your silver has become dross;
    your wine is mixed with water.(B)
23 Your princes are rebels
    and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe
    and runs after gifts.
They do not defend the orphan,
    and the widow’s cause does not come before them.(C)

24 Therefore says the Sovereign, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:
Surely I will pour out my wrath on my enemies
    and avenge myself on my foes!(D)
25 I will turn my hand against you;
    I will smelt away your dross as with lye
    and remove all your alloy.(E)
26 And I will restore your judges as at the first
    and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness,
    the faithful city.(F)

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