JUDGMENT ON CORRUPT LEADERS
Key verse: 14
NIV
Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah
3 See now, the Lord,
the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:(A)
all supplies of food(B) and all supplies of water,(C)
2 the hero and the warrior,(D)
the judge and the prophet,
the diviner(E) and the elder,(F)
3 the captain of fifty(G) and the man of rank,(H)
the counselor, skilled craftsman(I) and clever enchanter.(J)
4 “I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”(K)
5 People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.(L)
The young will rise up against the old,
the nobody against the honored.
6 A man will seize one of his brothers
in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!”
7 But in that day(M) he will cry out,
“I have no remedy.(N)
I have no food(O) or clothing in my house;
do not make me the leader of the people.”(P)
8 Jerusalem staggers,
Judah is falling;(Q)
their words(R) and deeds(S) are against the Lord,
defying(T) his glorious presence.
9 The look on their faces testifies(U) against them;
they parade their sin like Sodom;(V)
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
They have brought disaster(W) upon themselves.
10 Tell the righteous it will be well(X) with them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.(Y)
11 Woe to the wicked!(Z)
Disaster(AA) is upon them!
They will be paid back(AB)
for what their hands have done.(AC)
12 Youths(AD) oppress my people,
women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;(AE)
they turn you from the path.
13 The Lord takes his place in court;(AF)
he rises to judge(AG) the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment(AH)
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder(AI) from the poor(AJ) is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people(AK)
and grinding(AL) the faces of the poor?”(AM)
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.(AN)
Cross references
- Isaiah 3:1 : S Ps 18:18
- Isaiah 3:1 : S Lev 26:26; Am 4:6
- Isaiah 3:1 : Isa 5:13; 65:13; Eze 4:16
- Isaiah 3:2 : Eze 17:13
- Isaiah 3:2 : Dt 18:10
- Isaiah 3:2 : Isa 9:14-15
- Isaiah 3:3 : S 2Ki 1:9
- Isaiah 3:3 : S Job 22:8
- Isaiah 3:3 : 2Ki 24:14
- Isaiah 3:3 : S Ecc 10:11; Jer 8:17
- Isaiah 3:4 : ver 12; Ecc 10:16 fn
- Isaiah 3:5 : Ps 28:3; Isa 9:19; Jer 9:8; Mic 7:2, 6
- Isaiah 3:7 : S Isa 2:11
- Isaiah 3:7 : Jer 30:12; Eze 34:4; Hos 5:13
- Isaiah 3:7 : Joel 1:16
- Isaiah 3:7 : Isa 24:2
- Isaiah 3:8 : Isa 1:7
- Isaiah 3:8 : Isa 9:15, 17; 28:15; 30:9; 59:3, 13
- Isaiah 3:8 : 2Ch 33:6
- Isaiah 3:8 : S Job 1:11; Ps 73:9, 11; Isa 65:7
- Isaiah 3:9 : Nu 32:23; Isa 59:12; Jer 14:7; Hos 5:5
- Isaiah 3:9 : S Ge 13:13
- Isaiah 3:9 : S 2Ch 34:24; S Pr 8:36; Ro 6:23
- Isaiah 3:10 : S Dt 5:33; S 12:28; 28:1-14; Ps 37:17; Jer 22:15
- Isaiah 3:10 : S Ge 15:1; S Ps 128:2
- Isaiah 3:11 : S Job 9:13; Isa 57:20
- Isaiah 3:11 : Dt 28:15-68
- Isaiah 3:11 : S 2Ch 6:23
- Isaiah 3:11 : Jer 21:14; La 5:16; Eze 24:14
- Isaiah 3:12 : S ver 4
- Isaiah 3:12 : Isa 9:16; 19:14; 28:7; 29:9; Jer 23:13; 25:16; Mic 3:5
- Isaiah 3:13 : S Job 10:2
- Isaiah 3:13 : S Ps 82:1; S Isa 2:4
- Isaiah 3:14 : S 1Sa 12:7; S Job 22:4
- Isaiah 3:14 : S Job 24:9; Jas 2:6
- Isaiah 3:14 : Isa 11:4; 25:4
- Isaiah 3:15 : S Ps 94:5
- Isaiah 3:15 : S Job 24:14
- Isaiah 3:15 : Isa 10:6; 11:4; 26:6; 29:19; 32:6; 51:23
- Isaiah 3:15 : Isa 5:7
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem
3 For behold, the (A)Lord God of hosts
is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah
support and supply,[a]
all (B)support of bread,
and all support of water;
2 (C)the mighty man and the soldier,
the judge and the prophet,
the diviner and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty
and the man of rank,
the counselor and the skillful magician
and the expert in charms.
4 (D)And I will make boys their princes,
and infants[b] shall rule over them.
5 (E)And the people will oppress one another,
every one his fellow
and every one his neighbor;
the youth will be insolent to the elder,
and the despised to the honorable.
6 For (F)a man will take hold of his brother
in the house of his father, saying:
“You have a cloak;
you shall be our leader,
and this heap of ruins
shall be under your rule”;
7 in that day he will speak out, saying:
“I will not be a (G)healer;[c]
in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;
you shall not make me
leader of the people.”
8 For Jerusalem has stumbled,
and Judah has fallen,
because their (H)speech and their deeds are against the Lord,
(I)defying his glorious presence.[d]
9 For the look on their faces bears witness against them;
they proclaim their sin (J)like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
(K)For they have brought evil on themselves.
10 (L)Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them,
(M)for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.
11 (N)Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him,
for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.
12 My people—(O)infants are their oppressors,
and women rule over them.
O my people, (P)your guides mislead you
and they have swallowed up[e] the course of your paths.
13 The Lord (Q)has taken his place to contend;
he stands to judge peoples.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment
with the (R)elders and princes of his people:
“It is you who (S)have devoured[f] the vineyard,
(T)the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by (U)crushing my people,
by grinding the face of the poor?”
declares the Lord God of hosts.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 3:1 Hebrew staff
- Isaiah 3:4 Or caprice
- Isaiah 3:7 Hebrew binder of wounds
- Isaiah 3:8 Hebrew the eyes of his glory
- Isaiah 3:12 Or they have confused
- Isaiah 3:14 Or grazed over; compare Exodus 22:5
Cross references
- Isaiah 3:1 : ch. 1:24
- Isaiah 3:1 : Lev. 26:26; Ezek. 4:16
- Isaiah 3:2 : 2 Kgs. 24:14; Ezek. 17:13, 14
- Isaiah 3:4 : ver. 12; Eccles. 10:16
- Isaiah 3:5 : See Mic. 7:3-6
- Isaiah 3:6 : ch. 4:1
- Isaiah 3:7 : [ch. 1:6]
- Isaiah 3:8 : See Ps. 73:9-11
- Isaiah 3:8 : ch. 65:3
- Isaiah 3:9 : Gen. 13:13; 18:20; Ezek. 16:46, 48, 49
- Isaiah 3:9 : [Rom. 6:23]
- Isaiah 3:10 : Eccles. 8:12; See Deut. 28:1-14
- Isaiah 3:10 : Ps. 128:2
- Isaiah 3:11 : Eccles. 8:13; See Deut. 28:15-68
- Isaiah 3:12 : ver. 4
- Isaiah 3:12 : See ch. 28:14-22
- Isaiah 3:13 : Ps. 7:6; Hos. 4:1
- Isaiah 3:14 : Mic. 3:1
- Isaiah 3:14 : Ps. 14:4
- Isaiah 3:14 : Amos 3:10
- Isaiah 3:15 : [Ps. 94:5]
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
This passage may be prophesying the captivity of God’s people—a time of judgment for Judah and Jerusalem. They would lack resources and support. Most of all, they would lack real leadership. Nobody would want to step up to help and care for others. Similarly, when we only see what we lack, we despair. But God calls each of us to lead, to step up to offer even what little we can to serve those in need.
The LORD will judge the people for their wickedness. He will judge the elders and leaders who have ruined God’s vineyard by oppressing God’s people. Such leadership only cares about their own power and prosperity at the expense of others.
True leadership resembles Christ’s servant leadership, which reached out to the least of people, “the least of these” (Matt 25:4
). Although he lacked political support and riches, Jesus brought healing, hope, and salvation to the marginalized and oppressed and to all who came to him.
Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to step up, not out of duty or honor, but out of faith that you can bless our hands, our money, and our talents, even if it seems small in our own eyes.
One Word: Step up to serve others in need