וָאֹמַר שִׁמְעוּ־נָא רָאשֵׁי יַעֲקֹב וּקְצִינֵי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲלוֹא לָכֶם לָדַעַת אֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּט

I said: Hear now, leaders of Jacob, and officers of the house of Israel, is it not for you to know justice? Aren’t you supposed to know the laws and the upright path?

שֹׂנְאֵי טוֹב וְאֹהֲבֵי רָע גֹּזְלֵי עוֹרָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם ושְׁאֵרָם מֵעַל עַצְמוֹתָם

Yet instead you are haters of good and lovers of evil, robbers of the people, who remove their skin from upon them, and strip their flesh from upon their bones,

ואֲשֶׁר אָכְלוּ שְׁאֵר עַמִּי וְעוֹרָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם הִפְשִׁיטוּ וְאֶת־עַצְמֹתֵיהֶם פִּצֵּחוּ וּפָרְשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּוּכְבָשָׂר בְּתוֹךְ קַלָּחַת

and you are those who ate the flesh of my downtrodden people, and flayed their skin from upon them, and cracked their bones; they slice it, the flesh, like is done to food that is cooked in the pot, and like meat cooked in a cauldron.

אָז יִזְעֲקוּ אֶל־ה' וְלֹא יַעֲנֶה אוֹתָם וְיַסְתֵּר פָּנָיו מֵהֶם בָּעֵת הַהִיא כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵרֵעוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם

Then, when the time of their punishment arrives, they, those leaders, will cry out to the Lord, but He will not answer them. He will hide His face from them at that time, just as they themselves did evil in their exploits.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים הַמַּתְעִים אֶת־עַמִּי הַנֹּשְׁכִים בְּשִׁנֵּיהֶם וְקָרְאוּ שָׁלוֹם ואֲשֶׁר לֹא־יִתֵּן עַל־פִּיהֶם וְקִדְּשׁוּ עָלָיו מִלְחָמָה

So said the Lord concerning the prophets, the thought leaders, similar to modern intellectuals, who act as false prophets and mislead my people, to those who provide them with what to chew with their teeth, they cry: Peace. If someone has anything to offer them which they can eat, they give him messages of peace and plenty. But he who will not put food in their mouths, they engage in war against him. One who does not pay them is accused of wrongdoing and is vilified by them.

לָכֵן לַיְלָה לָכֶם מחָזוֹן וְחָשְׁכָה לָכֶם מִקְּסֹם וּבָאָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים וְקָדַר עֲלֵיהֶם הַיּוֹם

Therefore, it will soon be night for you for vision, and it will be dark for you for divination, visions and divination will cease; and the sun will set on the prophets, and the day will dim over them.

וּבֹשׁוּ הַחֹזִים וְחָפְרוּ הַקֹּסְמִים וְעָטוּ עַל־שָׂפָם כֻּלָּם כִּי אֵין מַעֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים

The seers will be ashamed, and the diviners humiliated; they will all cover their lips, as there is no response from God. It was the custom of mourners to cover at least the lower part of the face, including the upper lip.

וְאוּלָם אָנֹכִי מָלֵאתִי כֹחַ אֶת רוּחַ ה' וּמִשְׁפָּט וּגְבוּרָה לְהַגִּיד לְיַעֲקֹב פִּשְׁעוֹ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל חַטָּאתוֹ

But I, the prophet, am filled with strength, with the spirit of the Lord, and justice, reproof, and might. I have received these qualities, among other reasons, in order to tell Jacob his transgression, and to tell Israel his sin. The false prophets merely predict success for their supporters and evil for those who do not offer them financial assistance. By contrast, a prophet who is filled with the spirit of God will succeed and continue to prophesy even when he does not flatter the powerful by stating solely that which they wish to hear.

שִׁמְעוּ־נָא זֹאת רָאשֵׁי בֵּית יַעֲקֹב וּקְצִינֵי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמְתַעֲבִים מִשְׁפָּט וְאֵת כָּל־הַיְשָׁרָה יְעַקֵּשׁוּ

Hear this now, heads of the house of Jacob, and officers of the house of Israel, who spurn justice, and everything upright they pervert. Literally, this means that they make crooked all straight paths.

בֹּנֶה צִיּוֹן בְּדָמִים וירוּשָׁלִַם בְּעַוְלָה

These leaders are those who build up the city of Zion with blood, or financial exploitation, which is like the bleeding of the poor, and Jerusalem with iniquity, unfair deeds.

רָאשֶׁיהָ בְּשֹׁחַד יִשְׁפֹּטוּ וְכֹהֲנֶיהָ בִּמְחִיר יוֹרוּ וּנְבִיאֶיהָ בְּכֶסֶף יִקְסֹמוּ וְעַל־ה' יִשָּׁעֵנוּ לֵאמֹר הֲלוֹא ה' בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ לֹא־תָבוֹא עָלֵינוּ רָעָה

Its leaders judge for bribes, its priests give rulings for a price, in accordance with the pay they receive, and its prophets divine for money; but they rely on the Lord, saying: Isn’t the Lord in our midst? No harm will come upon us. The residents of Jerusalem erroneously think that the Temple of God will protect them from all evil.

לָכֵן בִּגְלַלְכֶם צִיּוֹן שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ וִירוּשָׁלִַם עִיִּין תִּהְיֶה וְהַר הַבַּיִת לְבָמוֹת יָעַר

Therefore, due to you, Zion will be plowed as a field. Despite your sense of security, your sins will cause the city to be destroyed and turn into a plowed field. And Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, and the Temple Mount will turn into forested heights, an elevated area of vegetation, desolate of people.