3
1 And I said:
Hear, O Rashei Ya'akov,
and ye Ketzinim of Bais Yisroel.
Is it not for you to have da'as of Mishpat (Justice)?
2 Who hate the tov, and love the rah;
who tear off their skin from off them,
and their flesh from off their atzamot (bones);
3 Who also eat the flesh of Ami,
and flay their skin from off them;
and they break their atzamot,
and chop them in pieces, like for the pot,
and like the basar within the caldron.
4 Then shall they cry unto Hashem,
but He will not hear them;
He will even hide His face from them at that time,
because of the evil way they behaved themselves in their doings.
5 Thus saith Hashem concerning the nevi'im that make Ami err, leading them astray,
the nevi'im that bite with their teeth, and preach: Shalom!
And whoever putteth nothing into their mouths,
v'kiddeshu milchamah (they sanctify war) against him.
6 Therefore lailah shall be unto you, because of the chazon;
and choshech shall come upon you because of the soothsaying, the divination;
and the shemesh shall go down over the nevi'im,
and hayom shall be dark over them.
7 Then shall the chozim (seers) be ashamed,
and the kosemim (diviners) blush in bushah;
yea, they shall all cover their safam (mustache);*
ki ein ma'aneh Elohim (for there is no answer of G-d).
8 But truly I am full of ko'ach
by the Ruach† of Hashem, and of mishpat, and of gevurah (might),
to preach unto Ya'akov his peysha,
and to Yisroel his chattat.‡
9 Hear this, I pray you, ye Rashei Bais Ya'akov,
and Ketzinim of Bais Yisroel,
that abhor mishpat,
and twist kol haYesharah (all the right, the straight).
10 Boneh Tziyon b'damim (they build up Tziyon with blood),
and Yerushalayim with avlah (iniquity).
11 Her Rashim judge for a bribe,
and her kohanim play the hireling moreh (teacher),
and her nevi'im are fortune-tellers for kesef;
yet will they lean upon Hashem? And say:
Is not Hashem among us?
No ra'ah will come upon us.
12 Therefore because of you, Tziyon shall be plowed as a sadeh,
and Yerushalayim shall become a rubble heap,
and the Har HaBeis§ shall become a mound of scrubs.
* 3:7 i.e., their lips † 3:8 Hakodesh ‡ 3:8 Isa 53:5,8,12 § 3:12 HaMikdash, i.e., the Temple Mount