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 on Judah and Jerusalem

For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
(A)Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah
(B)The[a] stock and the store,
The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water;
(C)The mighty man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;
The captain of fifty and the [b]honorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.

“I will give (D)children[c] to be their princes,
And [d]babes shall rule over them.
The people will be oppressed,
Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;
The child will be insolent toward the [e]elder,
And the [f]base toward the honorable.”

When a man takes hold of his brother
In the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing;
You be our ruler,
And let these ruins be under your [g]power,”
In that day he will protest, saying,
“I cannot cure your ills,
For in my house is neither food nor clothing;
Do not make me a ruler of the people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 3:1 Every support
  2. Isaiah 3:3 Eminent looking men
  3. Isaiah 3:4 boys
  4. Isaiah 3:4 Or capricious ones
  5. Isaiah 3:5 aged
  6. Isaiah 3:5 despised, lightly esteemed
  7. Isaiah 3:6 Lit. hand