الفوضى في أورشليم
1 والآنَ يُزيلُ الرّبُّ القديرُ مِنْ أُورُشليمَ ويَهوذا كُلَّ سنَدٍ مِنْ الخبزِ والماءِ وكُلَّ عِمادٍ: 2 الجَبَّارَ والمُحارِبَ، القاضيَ والنبـيَّ والعَرَّافَ والشَّيخَ، 3 القائدَ والوجيهَ والمُشيرَ والحكيمَ والسَّاحرَ والّذي يكشِفُ الأسرارَ.
4 ويجعَلُ الصِّبـيانَ حُكَّاما لهُم والسُّفَهاءَ أسيادا علَيهِم. 5 ويقومُ الشَّعبُ بعضُهُم على بعضٍ وواحِدُهُم على الآخَرِ ويستَخِفُّ الصَّبـيُّ بالشَّيخِ، واللَّئيمُ بالكريمِ. 6 ويأتي يومٌ يُمسِكُ الإنسانُ بأخيهِ مِنْ بَني قومِهِ ويقولُ لَه: «أنتَ لكَ ثوبٌ تَلبَسُهُ، فكُنْ حاكِما وتسَلَّطْ علَينا في هذا الزَّمنِ العصيـبِ». 7 فيُجيـبُ: «لن أكونَ مُدبِّرا لكُم. لا خُبزَ في بَيتي ولا ثيابَ فلا تَجعَلوني حاكِما للشَّعبِ».
8 أُورُشليمُ تَتهاوى ويَهوذا في الحضيضِ، لأنَّهُم يتَمرَّدونَ على الرّبِّ قولا وفِعلا وأمامَ عينَيهِ يَستَهينونَ بمَجدِهِ. 9 وقاحَةُ وجوهِهِم تشهَدُ علَيهِم، وكسَدومَ يُجاهِرونَ بخَطيئتِهِم ولا يكتُمونَها. فويلٌ لهُم! جلَبوا على أنفُسِهِمِ الشَّرَّ.
10 قولوا: «هنيئا للأبرارِ لأنَّهُم يأكُلونَ مِنْ ثمرَةِ أفعالِهِم، 11 وويلٌ للأشرارِ مِنْ شَرِّهِم لأنَّهُم يُجازَونَ بأعمالِ أيديهِم».
12 شعبـي ظالِموهُ أولادٌ وحاكِموهُ نِساءٌ. آه، يا شعبـي! قادتُكَ هُم يُضَلِّلونَكَ ويَمحونَ مَعالِمَ طُرُقِكَ.
الرب يدين شعبه
13 الرّبُّ يَنهَضُ عَنْ كُرسيِّ قضائِهِ ويَتهيَّأُ ليَدينَ شعبَهُ. 14 الرّبُّ يَدعو إلى القضاءِ شُيوخَ شعبِهِ وحُكَّامَهُم، فيَقولُ: «أنتُمُ الّذينَ نَهبتُمُ الكُرومَ وسَلَبتُمُ المَساكينَ ومَلأتُم بُيوتَكُم. 15 ما بالُكُم تَسحقونَ شعبـي وتَطحنونَ وجوهَ البائسينَ؟ يقولُ السَّيِّدُ الرّبُّ القديرُ.
تحذير نساء أورشليم
16 ويقولُ الرّبُّ: «يا لِتَشامُخِ بناتِ صِهيَونَ! يَمشينَ ممدوداتِ الأعناقِ غامِزاتٍ بِالعُيونِ. يَخطُرْنَ في مِشيَتِهِنَّ ويَحجُلْنَ بِـخَلاخِلِ أقدامِهِنَّ». 17 إذا، سيَضرِبُ السَّيِّدُ الرّبُّ بالصَّلَعِ هاماتِ بَناتِ صِهيَونَ ويُعرِّي عَورَتَهُنَّ 18 وينزعُ في ذلِكَ اليومِ زينَةَ الخلاخِلِ والضَّفائرِ والأهاليلِ 19 والحَلَقِ والأساوِرِ والبَراقِـعِ 20 والعَصائِبِ والخَلاخِلِ والمَحارِمِ والقَواريرِ والتَّمائمِ 21 والخَواتِمِ وحَلَقِ الأُنوفِ 22 والحُلَلِ والمَعاطِفِ والمناديلِ والحقائِبِ 23 والمَرايا والقُمصانِ والعَمائِمِ والمآزِرِ. 24 ويكونُ لهُنَّ النَّتَنُ بدَلَ الطِّيـبِ، والحَبلُ بدَلَ الحِزامِ. والقرَعُ بدَلَ الجَدائِلِ، وزُنَّارُ المِسْحِ بدَلَ الوِشاحِ، وقباحةُ الكَيِّ بدَلَ الجَمالِ. 25 ويسقُطُ رِجالُكِ يا صِهيَونُ بالسَّيفِ، وأبطالُكِ في القِتالِ. 26 وتئِنُّ أبوابُكِ وتَنوحُ وأنتِ خاويةٌ قاعِدةٌ على الأرضِ.
1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, 2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, 3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. 6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying , Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: 7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people. 8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9 ¶ The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. 10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12 ¶ As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. 13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. 14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
16 ¶ Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: 17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet , and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The rings, and nose jewels, 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. 24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.