“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)

² “But you, Bethlehem^(B) Ephrathah,^(C)
    though you are small among the clans^[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler^(D) over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,^(E)
    from ancient times.”^(F)

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned^(G)
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock^(H)
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness^(I)
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace^(J)
    when the Assyrians invade^(K) our land
    and march through our fortresses.
We will raise against them seven shepherds,
    even eight commanders,^(L)

¹⁵ “As in the days when you came out of Egypt,
    I will show them my wonders.^(G)”

¹⁶ Nations will see and be ashamed,^(H)
    deprived of all their power.
They will put their hands over their mouths^(I)
    and their ears will become deaf.
¹⁷ They will lick dust^(J) like a snake,
    like creatures that crawl on the ground.
They will come trembling^(K) out of their dens;
    they will turn in fear^(L) to the Lord our God
    and will be afraid of you.
¹⁸ Who is a God^(M) like you,
    who pardons sin^(N) and forgives^(O) the transgression
    of the remnant^(P) of his inheritance?^(Q)
You do not stay angry^(R) forever
    but delight to show mercy.^(S)
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities^(T) into the depths of the sea.^(U)
20 You will be faithful to Jacob,
    and show love to Abraham,^(V)
as you pledged on oath to our ancestors^(W)
    in days long ago.^(X)