“Listen, you leaders^(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
²     you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;^(B)
3 who eat my people’s flesh,^(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;^(D)
who chop^(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?^(F)”

⁴ Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.^(G)
At that time he will hide his face^(H) from them
    because of the evil they have done.^(I)

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,^(J)
they proclaim ‘peace’^(K)
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
⁶ Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.^(L)
The sun will set for the prophets,^(M)
    and the day will go dark for them.^(N)
7 The seers will be ashamed^(O)
    and the diviners disgraced.^(P)
They will all cover^(Q) their faces^(R)
    because there is no answer from God.^(S)”
⁸ But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
    to Israel his sin.^(T)

⁹ Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;^(U)
10 who build^(V) Zion with bloodshed,^(W)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.^(X)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,^(Y)
    her priests teach for a price,^(Z)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.^(AA)
Yet they look^(AB) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”^(AC)
12 Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,^(AD)
    the temple^(AE) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.^(AF)

² “But you, Bethlehem^(B) Ephrathah,^(C)
    though you are small among the clans^[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler^(D) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,^(E)
    from ancient times.”^(F)

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned^(G)
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock^(H)
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness^(I)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace^(J)
    when the Assyrians invade^(K) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,^(L)
6 who will rule^[c] the land of Assyria with the sword,
    the land of Nimrod^(M) with drawn sword.^[d](N)
He will deliver us from the Assyrians
    when they invade our land
    and march across our borders.^(O)

⁷ The remnant^(P) of Jacob will be
    in the midst of many peoples
like dew^(Q) from the Lord,
    like showers on the grass,^(R)
which do not wait for anyone
    or depend on man.
⁸ The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,
    in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,^(S)
    like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which mauls and mangles^(T) as it goes,
    and no one can rescue.^(U)
9 Your hand will be lifted up^(V) in triumph over your enemies,
    and all your foes will be destroyed.