1 Verder het ek gesê: Hoor tog, o hoofde van Jakob en owerstes van die huis van Israel! Betaam dit julle nie om die reg te ken nie?

2 Haters van wat goed is, en liefhebbers van wat sleg is, wat die vel van die mense aftrek en hulle vlees van hul gebeente;

3 en wat die vlees van my volk eet en hulle vel van hulle afslag; ook hulle gebeente verbrysel en hulle aan stukke kap soos vleis in 'n pot en soos vleis in 'n pan.

4 Dan sal hulle die HERE aanroep, en Hy sal hulle nie antwoord nie; maar Hy sal sy aangesig in die tyd vir hulle verberg, omdat hulle verkeerde dinge gedoen het.

5 So sê die HERE aangaande die profete wat my volk verlei, wat as hulle maar iets het om met hulle tande te byt, vrede verkondig; maar teen hom wat niks in hulle mond steek nie, verklaar hulle 'n heilige oorlog!

6 Daarom sal dit nag word vir julle, sonder 'n gesig, en duister vir julle, sonder waarsêery; ja, die son sal oor die profete ondergaan, en die dag oor hulle verduister word.

7 En die sieners sal beskaamd staan, en die waarsêers sal bloos, en hulle almal sal die baard bedek, omdat daar geen antwoord van God kom nie.

8 Ek daarenteen is vol krag, m,t die Gees van die HERE, en reg en heldemoed, om aan Jakob sy oortreding te verkondig en aan Israel sy sonde.

9 Hoor tog dit, hoofde van die huis van Jakob en owerstes van die huis van Israel! Julle wat van die reg 'n afsku het en al wat reg is, verdraai;

10 julle wat Sion bou met bloed en Jerusalem met onreg!

11 Sy hoofde spreek vonnisse uit vir 'n geskenk, en sy priesters gee onderrig vir loon, en sy profete is waarsêers vir geld. Nogtans steun hulle op die HERE en sê: Is die HERE nie in ons midde nie? Geen onheil sal ons wedervaar nie!

12 Daarom sal Sion om julle ontwil soos 'n land omgeploeg en Jerusalem puinhope word en die tempelberg bosrante.

1 And I said, Give ear, now, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the people of Israel: is it not for you to have knowledge of what is right?

2 You who are haters of good and lovers of evil, pulling off their skin from them and their flesh from their bones;

3 Like meat they take the flesh of my people for their food, skinning them and crushing their bones, yes, cutting them up as if for the pot, like flesh inside the cooking-pot.

4 Then they will be crying to the Lord for help, but he will not give them an answer: yes, he will keep his face veiled from them at that time, because their acts have been evil.

5 This is what the Lord has said about the prophets by whom my people have been turned from the right way; who, biting with their teeth, say, Peace; and if anyone puts nothing in their mouths they make ready for war against him.

6 For this cause it will be night for you, without a vision; and it will be dark for you, without knowledge of the future; the sun will go down over the prophets, and the day will be black over them.

7 And the seers will be shamed, and the readers of the future will be at a loss, all of them covering their lips; for there is no answer from God.

8 But I truly am full of the spirit of the Lord, with power of judging and with strength to make clear to Jacob his wrongdoing and to Israel his sin.

9 Then give ear to this, you heads of the children of Jacob, you rulers of the children of Israel, hating what is right, twisting what is straight.

10 They are building up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with evil-doing.

11 Its heads take rewards for judging, and the priests take payment for teaching, and the prophets get silver for reading the future: but still, supporting themselves on the Lord, they say, Is not the Lord among us? no evil will overtake us.

12 For this reason, Zion will be ploughed like a field because of you, and Jerusalem will become a mass of broken walls, and the mountain of the house like a high place in the woods.