Miquéias 3

Da sagde jeg: Hør dog, I Jakobs Høvdinger, I Dommere af Israels Hus!. Kan Kendskab til Ret ej ventes af eder,

I, som hader det gode og elsker. det onde, I, som flår Huden af Folk. og Kødet af deres Ben,

æder mit Folks Kød og flænger dem Huden af Kroppen, sønderbryder deres Ben. og breder dem som Kød i en Gryde, som Suppekød i en Kedel?

Engang skal de råbe til HERREN, han lader dem uden Svar;. da skjuler han sit Åsyn for. dem, fordi deres Gerninger er onde.

Så siger HERREN om Profeterne, de, som vildleder mit Folk, de, som råber om Fred, når kun de får noget at tygge, men ypper Krig med den, der intet giver dem i Munden:

Derfor skal I opleve Nat uden. Syner, Mørke, som ej bringer Spådom; Solen skal gå ned for Profeterne, Dagen skal sortne for dem.

Til Skamme skal Seeren blive, blues skal de, som spår; alle skal tilhylle Skægget, thi Svar er der ikke fra Gud.

Jeg derimod er ved HERRENs Ånd fuld af Styrke, af Ret og af Kraft til at forkynde Jakob dets Brøde, Israel, hvad det har syndet.

Hør det, I Jakobs Huses Høvdinger, I Dommere af Israels Hus, I, som afskyr Ret og gør alt, som er lige, kroget,

som bygger Zion med Blod. og Jerusalem med Uret.

For eders, Skyld skal derfor Zion pløjes som en Mark, Jerusalem blive til Grushobe, Tempelbjerget til Krathøj.

And 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?

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

Who 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.

Then 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.

Thus 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.

Therefore 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. {that...: vision: Heb. from a vision} {that...: divine: Heb. from divining}

Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for {there is} no answer of God. {lips: Heb. upper lip}

But 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.

Hear 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.

They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. {blood: Heb. bloods}

The 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. {and say: Heb. saying}

Therefore 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.