Add parallel Print Page Options

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

The mighty Lord All-Powerful
is going to take away
    from Jerusalem and Judah
everything you need—
    your bread and water,
* soldiers and heroes,
judges and prophets,
    leaders and army officers,
officials and advisors,
fortunetellers and others
    who tell the future.
He will let children and babies[a]
    become your rulers.
You will each be cruel
    to friends and neighbors.
Young people will insult
    their elders;
no one will show respect
    to those who deserve it.

Some of you will grab hold
    of a relative and say,
“You still have a coat.
Be our leader and rule
    this pile of ruins.”
But the answer will be,
“I can't do you any good.
    Don't make me your leader.
There's no food or clothing
    left in my house.”

Jerusalem and Judah,
you rebelled against
    your glorious Lord
your words and your actions,
    made you stumble and fall.
The look on your faces shows
that you are sinful as Sodom,
    and you don't try to hide it.
You are in for trouble,
and you have brought it all
    on yourselves.

The Wrong Kind of Leaders

10 Tell those who obey God,
“You're very fortunate—
    you will be rewarded
    for what you have done.”
11 Tell those who disobey,
“You're in big trouble—
    what you did to others
    will come back to you.”
12 Though you are God's people,
you are ruled and abused
    by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
    down the wrong path.

13 The Lord is ready to accuse
    and judge all nations.
14 He will even judge
you rulers and leaders
    of his own nation.
You destroyed his vineyard[b]
and filled your houses
    by robbing the poor.
15 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“You have crushed my people
    and rubbed in the dirt
    the faces of the poor.”

The Women of Jerusalem

16 The Lord says:
    The women of Jerusalem
are proud and strut around,
    winking shamelessly.
They wear anklets that jingle
and call attention
    to the way they walk.
17 But I, the Lord, will cover
    their heads with sores,
and I will uncover
    their private parts.

18-23 When that day comes, I will take away from those women all the fine jewelry they wear on their ankles, heads, necks, ears, arms, noses, fingers, and on their clothes. I will remove their veils, their belts, their perfume, their magic charms, their royal robes, and all their fancy dresses, hats, and purses.

24 In place of perfume,
    there will be a stink;
in place of belts,
    there will be ropes;
in place of fancy hairdos,
    they will have bald heads.
Instead of expensive clothes,
    they will wear sackcloth;
instead of beauty,
    they will have ugly scars.
25 The fighting men of Jerusalem
    will be killed in battle.
26 The city will mourn
and sit in the dirt,
    emptied of its people.

When this happens, seven women will grab the same man, and each of them will say, “I'll buy my own food and clothes! Just marry me and take away my disgrace.”[c]

The Lord Will Bless His People Who Survive

The time is coming when the Lord will make his land fruitful and glorious again, and the people of Israel who survive will take great pride in what the land produces. Everyone who is left alive in Jerusalem will be called special, after the Lord sends a fiery judgment to clean the city and its people of their violent deeds.

(A) Then the Lord will cover the whole city and its meeting places with a thick cloud each day and with a flaming fire[d] each night. God's own glory will be like a huge tent that covers everything. It will provide shade from the heat of the sun and a place of shelter and protection from storms and rain.

Footnotes

  1. 3.4 babies: Or “worthless nobodies.”
  2. 3.14 his vineyard: The nation Israel (see 5.1-7).
  3. 4.1 take away my disgrace: If a woman did not have a husband or children, it was thought that God was punishing her.
  4. 4.5 thick … fire: This is how the Lord led the people of Israel during the 40 years they were in the desert (see Exodus 13.20-22; 40.36-38).

Bible Gateway Recommends