Mic 3 | LSB | STEP | And I said, “Hear now, heads of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel. Is it not for you to know justice?

Micah 3

Yahweh Will Not Answer

1 And I said,

“Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to know justice?
2 “You who hate good and love evil,
Who tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 And who eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And spread them out as for the pot
And as meat in a caldron.”
4 Then they will cry out to Yahweh,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time
Because they have practiced evil deeds.

5 Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who lead my people astray;

When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They call out, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths,
They set themselves apart for war.
6 Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will grow black over them.
7 The seers will be ashamed,
And the diviners will be humiliated.
Indeed, they will all cover their ^{▼▼Lit mustache}mouths
Because there is no answer from God.
8 On the other hand I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of Yahweh—
And with justice and might
To declare to Jacob his transgression,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her heads pronounce judgment for a bribe,
And her priests instruct for a price,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on Yahweh saying,
“Is not Yahweh in our midst?
Evil will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
Zion will be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the mountain of the house of God will become high places of a forest.