1 | For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and
from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay
of water,
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2 | The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the
prudent, and the ancient,
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3 | The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counseller, and the
cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
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4 | And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over
them.
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5 | And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by
his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and
the base against the honourable.
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6 | When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father,
saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under
thy hand:
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7 | In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my
house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.
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8 | For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and
their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
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9 | The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare
their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have
rewarded evil unto themselves.
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10 | Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they
shall eat the fruit of their doings.
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11 | Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his
hands shall be given him.
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12 | As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over
them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the
way of thy paths.
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13 | The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
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14 | The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the
princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is
in your houses.
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15 | What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of
the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.
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16 | Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and
walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they
go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
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17 | Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the
daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.
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18 | In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling
ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like
the moon,
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19 | The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
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20 | The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the
tablets, and the earrings,
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21 | The rings, and nose jewels,
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22 | The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the
crisping pins,
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23 | The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
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24 | And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be
stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness;
and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of
beauty.
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25 | Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
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26 | And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit
upon the ground.
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