Micah 3

Rulers and Prophets Denounced

1 And I said:
aHear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
bIs it not for you to know justice?—
2you cwho hate the good and love the evil,
dwho tear the skin from off my people
Hebrew  from off them

and their flesh from off their bones,
3 fwho eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
and chop them up like meat in a pot,
like flesh in a cauldron.
4 gThen they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not answer them;
hhe will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning ithe prophets
who lead my people astray,
jwho cryPeace
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6Therefore kit shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
lThe sun shall go down on the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 mthe seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
nthey shall all cover their lips,
for othere is no answer from God.
8But as for me, pI am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob qhis transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 rHear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
swho detest justice
and make crooked all that is straight,
10 twho build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 uIts heads give judgment for a bribe;
vits priests teach for a price;
wits prophets practice divination for money;
xyet they lean on the Lord and ysay,
“Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
zNo disaster shall come upon us.”
12Therefore because of you
aaZion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem abshall become a heap of ruins,
and acthe mountain of the house ada wooded height.
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