1 Wicked Rulers and Prophets And I said: “Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you Ezek. 22:27 rulers of the house of Israel: Ps. 82:1–5; Jer. 5:4, 5 Is it not for you to know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, And the flesh from their bones;
3 Who also Ps. 14:4; 27:2; Zeph. 3:3 eat the flesh of My people, Flay their skin from them, Break their bones, And chop them in pieces Like meat for the pot, Ezek. 11:3, 6, 7 Like flesh in the caldron.”
4 Then Ps. 18:41; Prov. 1:28; Is. 1:15; Jer. 11:11 they will cry to the Lord , But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord Is. 56:10, 11; Jer. 6:13; Ezek. 13:10, 19 concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant “Peace” While they Matt. 7:15 chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Ezek. 13:18 Who puts nothing into their mouths:
6 “Therefore Is. 8:20–22; 29:10–12 you shall have night without vision, And you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, And the day shall be dark for Is. 29:10; (Jer. 23:33–40); Ezek. 13:23 them.
7 So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; Amos 8:11 For there is no answer from God.”
8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord , And of justice and might, Is. 58:1 To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, You heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who abhor justice And pervert all equity,
10 Jer. 22:13, 17 Who build up Zion with Ezek. 22:27; Hab. 2:12 bloodshed And Jerusalem with iniquity:
11 Is. 1:23; Mic. 7:3 Her heads judge for a bribe, Jer. 6:13 Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Is. 48:2; Jer. 7:4 Yet they lean on the Lord , and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be Jer. 26:18 plowed like a field, Ps. 79:1; Jer. 9:11 Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And Mic. 4:1, 2 the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest.