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Listen to what I say, you leaders of Jacob who judge,
    you rulers of the people of Israel who sit in the city gates.
Shouldn’t you know what justice is?
Yet you hate what is good and love evil;
    you skin the people alive and tear the meat from their bones.
These selfish judges eat the flesh of my people,
    strip off their skin, break their bones into splinters,
And chop them up like stew meat for the kettle,
    like meat for the pot.
In that time something dire will happen, and they will call on the Eternal,
    but He will not answer them.
He will hide His face from them then
    because they have acted so wickedly.

This is my message for the false prophets
    who have led my people so far from the truth,
Who preach peace when someone pays them with food
    and declare war against those who don’t:
“It will be a dark night, too dark for you who lack vision,
    and it will be darkness for you who cannot divine.”
The sun will go down on these so-called prophets,
    and the day will be black all around them.
The seers will be in disgrace,
    and those who predict the future ashamed.
They will keep their mouths shut
    because there will be no word from God.

But that is not the case with me—I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Eternal One, with God’s justice and might,
To accuse Jacob of his crimes
    and the daughter of Israel of her wrongdoing.

Now listen closely you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel
    who hate what is right and just and make the straight path into a crooked road,
10 Who build Zion with innocent blood
    and Jerusalem with wrongdoing.
11 Her leaders exchange justice for a bribe; her priests teach, but for a price;
    her prophets divine for money,
Yet they have the gall to say as they lean on the Eternal,
    “He is on our side! Nothing bad will happen to us!”
12 All of this is why Zion will be plowed flat as a field,
    Jerusalem will become a tumble of rubble,
And the temple mountain will become an ordinary high place in the forest.

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;(B)
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)

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)

This is what the Lord says:

“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.
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)
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)
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)

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)