“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)

the mountain^(AH) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,^(AI)
    and peoples will stream to it.^(AJ)

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,^(AK)
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.^(AL)
He will teach us^(AM) his ways,^(AN)
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law^(AO) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
³ He will judge between many peoples
    and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.^(AP)
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.^(AQ)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war^(AR) anymore.^(AS)
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
    and under their own fig tree,^(AT)
and no one will make them afraid,^(AU)
    for the Lord Almighty has spoken.^(AV)
5 All the nations may walk
    in the name of their gods,^(AW)
but we will walk in the name of the Lord
    our God for ever and ever.^(AX)

“I will gather the lame;^(AY)
    I will assemble the exiles^(AZ)
    and those I have brought to grief.^(BA)
7 I will make the lame my remnant,^(BB)
    those driven away a strong nation.^(BC)
The Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion^(BD)
    from that day and forever.^(BE)
8 As for you, watchtower of the flock,
    stronghold^[a] of Daughter Zion,
the former dominion will be restored^(BF) to you;
    kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.^(BG)”

⁹ Why do you now cry aloud—
    have you no king^[b](BH)?
Has your ruler^[c] perished,
    that pain seizes you like that of a woman in labor?^(BI)
10 Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labor,
for now you must leave the city
    to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;^(BJ)
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem^(BK) you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

¹¹ But now many nations
    are gathered against you.
They say, “Let her be defiled,
    let our eyes gloat^(BL) over Zion!”
¹² But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,^(BM)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
¹³ “Rise and thresh,^(BN) Daughter Zion,
    for I will give you horns of iron;
I will give you hooves of bronze,
    and you will break to pieces many nations.”^(BO)
You will devote their ill-gotten gains to the Lord,^(BP)
    their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’^[a](D)
    She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,^(E)
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.^(F)
3 For all the nations have drunk
    the maddening wine of her adulteries.^(G)
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,^(H)
    and the merchants of the earth grew rich^(I) from her excessive luxuries.”^(J)

“‘Come out of her, my people,’^[b](K)
    so that you will not share in her sins,
    so that you will not receive any of her plagues;^(L)
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,^(M)
    and God has remembered^(N) her crimes.
⁶ Give back to her as she has given;
    pay her back^(O) double^(P) for what she has done.
    Pour her a double portion from her own cup.^(Q)
7 Give her as much torment and grief
    as the glory and luxury she gave herself.^(R)
In her heart she boasts,
    ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;^[c]
    I will never mourn.’^(S)
8 Therefore in one day^(T) her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,^(U)
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,^(AA)
    you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour^(AB) your doom has come!’