Micah 3

1And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?

2Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

3Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.

4Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

5Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.

6Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.footnote afootnote b

7Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.footnote c

8But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

9Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

10They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.footnote d

11The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.footnote e

12Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.

Rulers and Prophets Condemned

1Then I said:“Hear now, O leaders of Jacob,you rulers of the house of Israel.Should you not know justice? 2You hate good and love evil.You tear the skin from my peopleand strip the flesh from their bones. 3You eat the flesh of my peopleafter stripping off their skinand breaking their bones.You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot,like meat in a cauldron.”

4Then they will cry out to the LORD,but He will not answer them.At that time He will hide His face from thembecause of the evil they have done.

5This is what the LORD says:“As for the prophetswho lead My people astray,who proclaim peacewhile they chew with their teeth,but declare war against onewho puts nothing in their mouths: 6Therefore night will come over you without visions,and darkness without divination.The sun will set on these prophets,and the daylight will turn black over them. 7Then the seers will be ashamedand the diviners will be disgraced.They will all cover their mouthsbecause there is no answer from God.”

8As for me, however, I am filled with powerby the Spirit of the LORD,with justice and courage,to declare to Jacob his transgressionand to Israel his sin.

9Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacoband rulers of the house of Israel,who despise justiceand pervert all that is right, 10who build Zion with bloodshedand Jerusalem with iniquity. 11Her leaders judge for a bribe,her priests teach for a price,and her prophets practice divination for money.Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying,“Is not the LORD among us?No disaster can come upon us.” 12Therefore, because of you,Zion will be plowed like a field,Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,and the temple mount a wooded ridge.