Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“(A)Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to (B)know justice?
2 “You who hate good and love evil,
Who (C)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who (D)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones
And (E)chop them up as for the pot
And as meat in a kettle.”
4 Then they will (F)cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (G)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (H)practiced evil deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who (I)lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (J)cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be (K)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (L)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be (M)ashamed
And the (N)diviners will be embarrassed.
Indeed, they will all (O)cover their [a]mouths
Because there is (P)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand (Q)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To (R)make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, (S)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (T)abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (U)build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her leaders pronounce (V)judgment for a bribe,
Her (W)priests instruct for a price
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord saying,
“(X)Is not the Lord in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
(Y)Zion will be plowed as a field,
(Z)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (AA)mountain of the [b]temple will become high places of a forest.
Footnotes
- Micah 3:7 Lit mustache
- Micah 3:12 Lit house
Cross references
- Micah 3:1 : Is 1:10; Mic 3:9
- Micah 3:1 : Ps 82:1-5; Jer 5:5
- Micah 3:2 : Ps 53:4; Ezek 22:27; Mic 2:8; 7:2, 3
- Micah 3:3 : Ps 14:4; 27:2; Zeph 3:3
- Micah 3:3 : Ezek 11:3, 6, 7
- Micah 3:4 : Ps 18:41; Prov 1:28; Is 1:15; Jer 11:11
- Micah 3:4 : Deut 31:17; Is 59:2
- Micah 3:4 : Is 3:11; Mic 7:13
- Micah 3:5 : Is 3:12; 9:15, 16; Jer 14:14, 15
- Micah 3:5 : Jer 6:14
- Micah 3:6 : Is 8:20-22; 29:10-12
- Micah 3:6 : Is 59:10
- Micah 3:7 : Zech 13:4
- Micah 3:7 : Is 44:25; 47:12-14
- Micah 3:7 : Mic 7:16
- Micah 3:7 : 1 Sam 28:6; Mic 3:4
- Micah 3:8 : Is 61:1, 2; Jer 1:18
- Micah 3:8 : Is 58:1
- Micah 3:9 : Mic 1:1
- Micah 3:9 : Ps 58:1, 2; Is 1:23
- Micah 3:10 : Jer 22:13, 17; Hab 2:12
- Micah 3:11 : Is 1:23; Mic 7:3
- Micah 3:11 : Jer 6:13
- Micah 3:11 : Is 48:2
- Micah 3:12 : Jer 26:18
- Micah 3:12 : Ps 79:1; Jer 9:11
- Micah 3:12 : Mic 4:1