Isaiah 3:16

כִּי֩ הִנֵּ֨ה הָאָד֜וֹן יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֗וֹת מֵסִ֤יר מִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ וּמִ֣יהוּדָ֔ה מַשְׁעֵ֖ן וּמַשְׁעֵנָ֑ה כֹּ֚ל מִשְׁעַן־לֶ֔חֶם וְכֹ֖ל מִשְׁעַן־מָֽיִם׃ For lo!
The Sovereign LORD of Hosts
Will remove from Jerusalem and from Judah
Prop and stay,
Every prop of food
And every prop of water:^aEmendation yields “clothing”; cf. v. 7; 4.1.

גִּבּ֖וֹר וְאִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֑ה שׁוֹפֵ֥ט וְנָבִ֖יא וְקֹסֵ֥ם וְזָקֵֽן׃ Soldier and warrior,
Magistrate and prophet,
Augur and elder;

שַׂר־חֲמִשִּׁ֖ים וּנְשׂ֣וּא פָנִ֑ים וְיוֹעֵ֛ץ וַחֲכַ֥ם חֲרָשִׁ֖ים וּנְב֥וֹן לָֽחַשׁ׃ Captain of fifty,
Magnate and counselor,
Skilled artisan and expert enchanter;^bEmendation yields “craftsman.”

וְנָתַתִּ֥י נְעָרִ֖ים שָׂרֵיהֶ֑ם וְתַעֲלוּלִ֖ים יִמְשְׁלוּ־בָֽם׃ And He^cHeb. “I.” will make boys their rulers,
And babes shall govern them.

וְנִגַּ֣שׂ הָעָ֔ם אִ֥ישׁ בְּאִ֖ישׁ וְאִ֣ישׁ בְּרֵעֵ֑הוּ יִרְהֲב֗וּ הַנַּ֙עַר֙ בַּזָּקֵ֔ן וְהַנִּקְלֶ֖ה בַּנִּכְבָּֽד׃ So the people shall oppress one another—
Each oppressing his fellow:
The young shall bully the old;
And the despised [shall bully] the honored.

כִּי־יִתְפֹּ֨שׂ אִ֤ישׁ בְּאָחִיו֙ בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֔יו שִׂמְלָ֣ה לְכָ֔ה קָצִ֖ין תִּֽהְיֶה־לָּ֑נוּ וְהַמַּכְשֵׁלָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את תַּ֥חַת יָדֶֽךָ׃ For should a man seize his brother,
^dEmendation yields “His father’s son, saying…”In whose father’s house there is clothing:^-d
“Come, be a chief over us,
And let this ruin^eMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “wound.” be under your care,”

יִשָּׂא֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַה֤וּא ׀ לֵאמֹר֙ לֹא־אֶהְיֶ֣ה חֹבֵ֔שׁ וּבְבֵיתִ֕י אֵ֥ין לֶ֖חֶם וְאֵ֣ין שִׂמְלָ֑ה לֹ֥א תְשִׂימֻ֖נִי קְצִ֥ין עָֽם׃ The other will thereupon protest,
“I will not be a dresser of wounds,
With no food or clothing in my own house.
You shall not make me chief of a people!”

כִּ֤י כָֽשְׁלָה֙ יְר֣וּשָׁלַ֔͏ִם וִיהוּדָ֖ה נָפָ֑ל כִּֽי־לְשׁוֹנָ֤ם וּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶם֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה לַמְר֖וֹת עֵנֵ֥י כְבוֹדֽוֹ׃ Ah, Jerusalem has stumbled,
And Judah has fallen,
Because by word and deed
They insult the LORD,
Defying His majestic glance.

הַכָּרַ֤ת פְּנֵיהֶם֙ עָ֣נְתָה בָּ֔ם וְחַטָּאתָ֛ם כִּסְדֹ֥ם הִגִּ֖ידוּ לֹ֣א כִחֵ֑דוּ א֣וֹי לְנַפְשָׁ֔ם כִּי־גָמְל֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם רָעָֽה׃ Their partiality in judgment^fSo Targum; cf. Deut. 1.17; 16.19. accuses them;
They avow their sins like Sodom,
They do not conceal them.
Woe to them! For ill
Have they served themselves.

אִמְר֥וּ צַדִּ֖יק כִּי־ט֑וֹב כִּֽי־פְרִ֥י מַעַלְלֵיהֶ֖ם יֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ (Hail^gEmendation yields “Happy is.” the just man, for he shall fare well;
He shall eat the fruit of his works.

א֖וֹי לְרָשָׁ֣ע רָ֑ע כִּֽי־גְמ֥וּל יָדָ֖יו יֵעָ֥שֶׂה לּֽוֹ׃ Woe to the wicked man, for he shall fare ill;
As his hands have dealt, so shall it be done to him.)

עַמִּי֙ נֹגְשָׂ֣יו מְעוֹלֵ֔ל וְנָשִׁ֖ים מָ֣שְׁלוּ ב֑וֹ עַמִּי֙ מְאַשְּׁרֶ֣יךָ מַתְעִ֔ים וְדֶ֥רֶךְ אֹרְחֹתֶ֖יךָ בִּלֵּֽעוּ׃ {פ}
My people’s rulers are babes,
It is governed by women.^hEmendation yields “boys”; cf. v. 4 (and v. 5).
O my people!
Your leaders are misleaders;
They have confused the course of your paths.

נִצָּ֥ב לָרִ֖יב יְהֹוָ֑ה וְעֹמֵ֖ד לָדִ֥ין עַמִּֽים׃ The LORD stands up to plead a cause,
He rises to champion peoples.ⁱSeptuagint “His people”; cf. vv. 14, 15.

יְהֹוָה֙ בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט יָב֔וֹא עִם־זִקְנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹ וְשָׂרָ֑יו וְאַתֶּם֙ בִּעַרְתֶּ֣ם הַכֶּ֔רֶם גְּזֵלַ֥ת הֶעָנִ֖י בְּבָתֵּיכֶֽם׃ The LORD will bring this charge
Against the elders and officers of His people:
“It is you who have ravaged the vineyard;
That which was robbed from the poor is in your houses.

(מלכם) [מַה־לָּכֶם֙] תְּדַכְּא֣וּ עַמִּ֔י וּפְנֵ֥י עֲנִיִּ֖ים תִּטְחָ֑נוּ נְאֻם־אֲדֹנָ֥י יֱהֹוִ֖ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ {ס}         How dare you crush My people
And grind the faces of the poor?”
—says my Lord GOD of Hosts.

וְשִׂפַּ֣ח אֲדֹנָ֔י קׇדְקֹ֖ד בְּנ֣וֹת צִיּ֑וֹן וַיהֹוָ֖ה פׇּתְהֵ֥ן יְעָרֶֽה׃ {ס}         My Lord will bare^kSo Saadia. To bare a woman’s head in public was an intolerable humiliation; cf. Mishnah Baba Kamma 8.6. the pates
Of the daughters of Zion,
The LORD will uncover their heads.

בַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא יָסִ֣יר אֲדֹנָ֗י אֵ֣ת תִּפְאֶ֧רֶת הָעֲכָסִ֛ים וְהַשְּׁבִיסִ֖ים וְהַשַּׂהֲרֹנִֽים׃ In that day, my LORD will strip off the finery^lMany of the articles named in vv. 18–24 cannot be identified with certainty. of the anklets, the fillets, and the crescents;

הַנְּטִפ֥וֹת וְהַשֵּׁיר֖וֹת וְהָרְעָלֽוֹת׃ of the eardrops, the bracelets, and the veils;

הַפְּאֵרִ֤ים וְהַצְּעָדוֹת֙ וְהַקִּשֻּׁרִ֔ים וּבָתֵּ֥י הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ וְהַלְּחָשִֽׁים׃ the turbans, the armlets, and the sashes; of the talismans and the amulets;

הַטַּבָּע֖וֹת וְנִזְמֵ֥י הָאָֽף׃ the signet rings and the nose rings;

הַמַּֽחֲלָצוֹת֙ וְהַמַּ֣עֲטָפ֔וֹת וְהַמִּטְפָּח֖וֹת וְהָחֲרִיטִֽים׃ of the festive robes, the mantles, and the shawls; the purses,

וְהַגִּלְיֹנִים֙ וְהַסְּדִינִ֔ים וְהַצְּנִיפ֖וֹת וְהָרְדִידִֽים׃ the lace gowns, and the linen vests; and the kerchiefs and the capes.

וְהָיָה֩ תַ֨חַת בֹּ֜שֶׂם מַ֣ק יִֽהְיֶ֗ה וְתַ֨חַת חֲגוֹרָ֤ה נִקְפָּה֙ וְתַ֨חַת מַעֲשֶׂ֤ה מִקְשֶׁה֙ קׇרְחָ֔ה וְתַ֥חַת פְּתִיגִ֖יל מַֽחֲגֹ֣רֶת שָׂ֑ק כִּי־תַ֖חַת יֹֽפִי׃ And then—
Instead of perfume, there shall be rot;
And instead of an apron, a rope;
Instead of a diadem of beaten-work,
A shorn head;
Instead of a rich robe,
A girding of sackcloth;
^mThe complete Isaiah scroll from Qumran, hereafter 1QIsa, reads “For shame shall take the place of beauty”; cf. note k.A burn instead of beauty.^-m

מְתַ֖יִךְ בַּחֶ֣רֶב יִפֹּ֑לוּ וּגְבוּרָתֵ֖ךְ בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה׃ HerⁿI.e., Zion’s; cf. vv. 16, 17; Heb. “your.” men shall fall by the sword,
Her fighting manhood in battle;

וְאָנ֥וּ וְאָבְל֖וּ פְּתָחֶ֑יהָ וְנִקָּ֖תָה לָאָ֥רֶץ תֵּשֵֽׁב׃ And her gates shall lament and mourn,
And ^oMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “her wall”; cf. Lam. 2.8.she shall be emptied,^-o
Shall sit on the ground.