Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“(A)Hear now, you [a]leaders 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,
Smash their bones,
And (E)chop them up as for the pot,
And as meat in a cauldron!”
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 This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who (I)lead my people astray:
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (J)cry out, “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)put to shame,
And the (N)diviners will be ashamed.
Indeed, they will all (O)cover their [b]lips
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,
And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, you (S)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (T)despise justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (U)build Zion with bloodshed,
And Jerusalem with malice.
11 Her leaders pronounce (V)judgment for a bribe,
Her (W)priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“(X)Is the Lord not in our midst?
Catastrophe will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore on account of you,
(Y)Zion will be plowed like a field,
(Z)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (AA)mountain of the [c]temple will become high places of a forest.
Footnotes
- Micah 3:1 Lit heads
- 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