Humanitext Reader

Septuagint · Micah §3.1-3.12

Denunciation of Corrupt Leaders and Jerusalem's Ruin

Passage 3 of 7 · Greek

Summary

The prophet denounces the cruelty and injustice of the rulers of Jacob and Israel, and declares judgment upon the false prophets. Because of their sins, Zion and Jerusalem will be utterly desolated.

§3.1Καὶ ἐρεῖ Ἀκούσατε δὴ ταῦτα, αἱ ἀρχαὶ οἴκου Ἰακὼβ καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι οἴκου Ἰσραήλ.
And he shall say, "Hear now these things, O rulers of the house of Jacob, and the remnant of the house of Israel.
οὐχ ὑμῖν ἐστὶν τοῦ γνῶναι τὸ κρίμα;
Is it not for you to know justice?
§3.2μισοῦντες τὰ καλὰ καὶ ζητοῦντες τὰ πονηρά, ἁρπάζοντες τὰ δέρματα αὐτῶν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτῶν.
You who hate the good and seek the evil, tearing their skins from off them, and their flesh from their bones.
§3.3ὸν τρόπον κατέφαγον τὰς σάρκας τοῦ λαοῦ μου, καὶ τὰ δέρματα αὐτῶν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἐξέδειραν, καὶ τὰ ὀστέα αὐτῶν συνέθλασαν καὶ ἐμέλισαν ὡς σάρκας εἰς λέβητα καὶ ὡς κρέα εἰς χύτραν,
In the same way they devoured the flesh of my people, and stripped their skins from off them, and broke their bones, and chopped them in pieces as flesh for a caldron, and as meat for a pot.
§3.4οὕτως κεκράξονται πρὸς Κύριον καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσεται αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀποστρέψει τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἀνθʼ ὦν ἐπονηρεύσαντο ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν ἐπʼ αὐτούς.
So they shall cry to the Lord, and he will not hear them; and he will turn away his face from them at that time, because they have done evil in their practices against them.
§3.5τάδᾳ λέγει Κύριος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πλανῶντας τὸν λαόν μου, τοὺς δάκνοντας ἐν τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν καὶ κηρύσσοντας ἐπʼ αὐμ τὸν εἰρήνην, καὶ οὐκ ἐδόθη εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, ἤγειραν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν πόλεμον·
Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who bite with their teeth and proclaim peace to them, and if nothing was put into their mouth, they raise war against them.
§3.6διὰ τοῦτο νὺξ ὑμῖν ἔσται ἐξ ὁράσεως, καὶ σκοτία ὑμῖν ἔσται ἐκ μαντείας, καὶ δύσεται ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ συσκοτάσει ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἡ ἡμέρα·
Therefore it shall be night to you instead of a vision, and it shall be darkness to you instead of divining; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be dark upon them.
§3.7καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται οἱ ὁρῶντες τὰ ἐνύπνια, καὶ καταγελασθήσονται οἵ μάντεις, καὶ καταλαλήσουσιν κατʼ αὐτῶν πάντες αὐτοί, διότι οὐκ ἔσται ὁ εἰσακούων αὐτῶν.
And the seers of dreams shall be ashamed, and the diviners shall be laughed to scorn; and they all shall speak against them, because there shall be none to hear them.
§3.8ἐὰυ μὴ ἐγὼ ἐμπλήσω ἰσχὺν ἐν πνεύματι Κυρίου καὶ κρίματος καὶ δυναστείας τοῦ ἀπαγγεῖλαι τῷ Ἰακὼβ ἀσεβείας αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ.
Surely I am filled with strength in the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of power, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
§3.9ἀκούσατε δὴ ταῦτα, οἱ ἡγούμενοι οἴκου Ἰακὼβ καὶ οἱ κατάλοιποι οἴκου Ἰσραήλ, οἱ βδελυσσόμενοι κρίμα καὶ πάντα τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφοντες, §3.10οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες Σειὼν ἐν αἵμασιν καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐν ἀδικίαις·
Hear now these things, O rulers of the house of Jacob, and the remnant of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all that is right, who build Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
§3.11οἱ ἡγούμενοι αὐτῆς μετὰ δώρων ἔκρινον, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς μετὰ μισθοῦ ἀπεκρίνοντο, καὶ οἱ προφῆται αὐτῆς μετὰ ἀργυρίου ἐμαντεύοντο, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον ἐπανεπαύοντο λέγοντες Οὐχὶ Κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν;
Her leaders judged for gifts, and her priests answered for hire, and her prophets divined for money; and they leaned upon the Lord, saying, 'Is not the Lord among us?
οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς κακά. §3.12διὰ τοῦτο δι᾿ ὑμᾶς Σειὼν ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθήσεται, καὶ Ἰερουσαλὴμ ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἔσται, καὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου εἰς ἄλσος δρυμοί.
No evil shall come upon us.' Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be as a lodge of a garden, and the mountain of the house as a grove of the forest."

Notes

  1. §3.1τοῦ γνῶναι — The genitive infinitive with τοῦ functions noun-ally as the subject or definition of obligation under the impersonal expression οὐχ ὑμῖν ἐστὶν ('is it not for you to...'). This reflects a literal translation of the Hebrew infinitive construct (לָדַעַת).
  2. §3.5καὶ οὐκ ἐδόθη εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν — Although introduced by the conjunction καὶ with an indicative aorist passive, this clause functionally serves as a conditional clause ('and if nothing was put into their mouth'). It reflects the Hebrew conjunctive particle (w-) translated literally into Greek as καὶ.
  3. §3.6ἐξ ὁράσεως / ἐκ μαντείας — The preposition ἐκ/ἐξ functions here ablativaly or privately, meaning 'away from vision (without vision)' or 'instead of a vision'. This derives from a literal translation of the Hebrew preposition min ('from', 'without').
  4. §3.8ἐὰν μὴ — Although taking the form of a conditional negative ('unless'), this is a literal rendering of the Hebrew oath formula (kî 'im), functioning here as an emphatic particle of strong affirmation ('surely I am...').

Cite this passage

Septuagint, Micah §3.1-3.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0527.tlg038.humanitext-grc1:3.1-3.12

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