The Hebrew Prophets

In that day doth man cast his idols of silver, And his idols of gold, That they have made for him to worship, To moles, and to bats,

To enter into cavities of the rocks, And into clefts of the high places, Because of the fear of Jehovah, And because of the honour of His excellency, In His rising to terrify the earth.

Cease for you from man, Whose breath is in his nostrils, For--in what is he esteemed?

For, lo, the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Is turning aside from Jerusalem, And from Judah, stay and staff, Every stay of bread, and every stay of water.

Hero and man of war, judge and prophet, And diviner and elder,

Head of fifty, and accepted of faces, And counsellor, and the wise of artificers, And the intelligent of charmers.

And I have made youths their heads, And sucklings rule over them.

And the people hath exacted--man upon man, Even a man on his neighbour, Enlarge themselves do the youths against the aged, And the lightly esteemed against the honoured.

When one layeth hold on his brother, Of the house of his father, by the garment, `Come, a ruler thou art to us, And this ruin is under thy hand.'

He lifteth up, in that day, saying: `I am not a binder up, And in my house is neither bread nor garment, Ye do not make me a ruler of the people.'

For stumbled hath Jerusalem, and Judah hath fallen, For their tongue and their doings are against Jehovah, To provoke the eyes of His glory.

The appearance of their faces witnessed against them, And their sin, as Sodom, they declared, They have not hidden! Woe to their soul, For they have done to themselves evil.

Say ye to the righteous, that it is good, Because the fruit of their doings they eat.

Woe to the wicked--evil, Because the deed of his hand is done to him.

My people--its exactors are sucklings, And women have ruled over it. My people--thy eulogists are causing to err, And the way of thy paths swallowed up.

Jehovah hath stood up to plead, And He is standing to judge the peoples.

Jehovah into judgment doth enter With elders of His people, and its heads: `And ye, ye have consumed the vineyard, Plunder of the poor is in your houses.

What--to you? ye bruise My people, And the faces of the poor ye grind.' An affirmation of the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, And Jehovah saith:

`Because that daughters of Zion have been haughty, And they walk stretching out the neck, And deceiving with the eyes, Walking and mincing they go, And with their feet they make a tinkling,

The Lord also hath scabbed The crown of the head of daughters of Zion, And Jehovah their simplicity exposeth.

In that day doth the Lord turn aside The beauty of the tinkling ornaments, And of the embroidered works, And of the round tires like moons,

Of the drops, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,

Of the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, And of the bands, And of the perfume boxes, and the amulets,

Of the seals, and of the nose-rings,

Of the costly apparel, and of the mantles, And of the coverings, and of the purses,