Micah 3

Christian Standard Bible

3 Then I said, “Now listen,^(A) leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of the house of Israel.
Aren’t you supposed to know what is just?^(B)
2 You hate good and love evil.
You tear off people’s skin^(C)
and strip their flesh from their bones.
³ You eat the flesh^(D) of my people
after you strip their skin from them
and break their bones.
You chop them up^(E)
like flesh for the cooking pot,
like meat in a cauldron.”
⁴ Then they will cry out^(F) to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time^(G)
because of the crimes they have committed.

⁵ This is what the Lord says
concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,^(H)
who proclaim^(I) peace
when they have food to sink their teeth into
but declare war against the one
who puts nothing in their mouths.
⁶ Therefore, it will be night^(J) for you—
without visions;
it will grow dark for you—
without divination.^(K)
The sun will set^(L) on these prophets,
and the daylight will turn black over them.
⁷ Then the seers will be ashamed^(M)
and the diviners disappointed.^(N)
They will all cover their mouths^[a](O)
because there will be no answer from God.^(P)

⁹ Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob,^(S)
you rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice^(T)
and pervert everything that is right,
¹⁰ who build Zion with bloodshed^(U)
and Jerusalem with injustice.
¹¹ Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe,^(V)
her priests teach for payment,^(W)
and her prophets practice divination for silver.
Yet they lean on the Lord, saying,
“Isn’t the Lord^(X) among us?
No disaster will overtake us.”
¹² Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become ruins,^(Y)
and the temple’s mountain^(Z)
will be a high thicket.^(AA)