Listen carefully, the Lord GOD of hosts is removing from Jerusalem and from Judah
Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread
And the whole supply of water;
The brave man and the warrior [He is also removing],
The judge and the prophet,
The diviner and the elder,
The captain of fifty and the man of honor,
The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.
And I will make mere boys their princes,
And capricious (impulsive, unpredictable) children will rule over them.
And the people will be oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor;
The boy will be arrogant and insolent toward the elder
And the vulgar (common) toward the honorable [person of rank].
When a man takes hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying,
“You have a robe, you shall be our judge and ruler,
And this pile of ruins will be under your control,”
For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their words and their actions are against the LORD,
To rebel against His glorious presence and defiantly provoke Him.
Say to the righteous that it will go well with them,
For they will eat the fruit of their [righteous] actions.
Woe (judgment is coming) to the wicked! It shall go badly with him,
For what his hand has done shall be done to him.
O My people! Children are their oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O My people! Your leaders lead you astray
And confuse (destroy, swallow up) the direction of your paths.
The LORD enters into judgment with the elders of His people and their princes,
“For it is you who have devoured the vineyard [with your oppression, you have robbed the people and ruined the country];
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
“What do you mean by crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
Therefore the Lord will afflict the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion with scabs [making them bald],
And the LORD will expose their foreheads (send them into captivity).”
In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, [braided] caps, crescent [head] ornaments,
Now it will come to pass that instead of the sweet fragrance of spices there will be [the stench of] rottenness;
Instead of a belt, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, baldness;
Instead of fine clothes, a robe of sackcloth;
And branding [of captives by the scorching heat] instead of beauty.
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