Bible in Basic English
The strong man and the man of war; the judge and the prophet; the man who has knowledge of secret arts, and the man who is wise because of his years;
The captain of fifty, and the man of high position, and the wise guide, and the wonder-worker, and he who makes use of secret powers.
And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them.
And the people will be crushed, every one by his neighbour; the young will be full of pride against the old, and those of low position will be lifted up against the noble.
When one man puts his hand on another in his father's house, and says, You have clothing, be our ruler and be responsible for us in our sad condition:
Then he will say with an oath, I will not be a helper, for in my house there is no bread or clothing: I will not let you make me a ruler of the people.
For Jerusalem has become feeble, and destruction has come on Judah, because their words and their acts are against the Lord, moving the eyes of his glory to wrath.
Their respect for a man's position is a witness against them; and their sin is open to the view of all; like that of Sodom, it is not covered. A curse on their soul! for the measure of their sin is full.
Happy is the upright man! for he will have joy of the fruit of his ways.
Unhappy is the sinner! for the reward of his evil doings will come on him.
As for my people, their ruler is acting like a child, and those who have authority over them are women. O my people, your guides are the cause of your wandering, turning your footsteps out of the right way.
The Lord is ready to take up his cause against his people, and is about to come forward as their judge.
The Lord comes to be the judge of their responsible men and of their rulers: it is you who have made waste the vine-garden, and in your houses is the property of the poor which you have taken by force.
By what right are you crushing my people, and putting a bitter yoke on the necks of the poor? This is the word of the Lord, the Lord of armies.
Again, the Lord has said, Because the daughters of Zion are full of pride, and go with outstretched necks and wandering eyes, with their foot-chains sounding when they go:
The Lord will send disease on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will let their secret parts be seen.
In that day the Lord will take away the glory of their foot-rings, and their sun-jewels, and their moon-ornaments,
The ear-rings, and the chains, and the delicate clothing,
The head-bands, and the arm-chains, and the worked bands, and the perfume-boxes, and the jewels with secret powers,
The rings, and the nose-jewels,
The feast-day dresses, and the robes, and the wide skirts, and the handbags,
The looking-glasses, and the fair linen, and the high head-dresses, and the veils.
And in the place of sweet spices will be an evil smell, and for a fair band a thick cord; for a well-dressed head there will be the cutting-off of the hair, and for a beautiful robe there will be the clothing of sorrow; the mark of the prisoner in place of the ornaments of the free.
Your men will be put to the sword, and your men of war will come to destruction in the fight.
And in the public places of her towns will be sorrow and weeping; and she will be seated on the earth, waste and uncovered.
— Isaiah 3:2-1964, Bible in Basic English
“the mighty men and warriors, judges and prophets, omen readers and leaders, captains of groups of fifty, the respected citizens, advisers and those skilled in magical arts, and those who know incantations. The LORD says,“I will make youths their officials; malicious young men will rule over them. The people will treat each other harshly; men will oppose each other; neighbors will fight. Youths will proudly defy the elderly and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected. Indeed, a man will grab his brother right in his father’s house and say,‘You own a coat– you be our leader! This heap of ruins will be under your control.’ At that time the brother will shout,‘I am no doctor, I have no food or coat in my house; don’t make me a leader of the people!’” Jerusalem certainly stumbles, Judah falls, for their words and their actions offend the LORD; they rebel against his royal authority. The look on their faces testifies to their guilt; like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin. Woe to them! For they bring disaster on themselves. Tell the innocent it will go well with them, for they will be rewarded for what they have done. Woe to the wicked sinners! For they will get exactly what they deserve. Oppressors treat my people cruelly; creditors rule over them. My people’s leaders mislead them; they give you confusing directions. The LORD takes his position to judge; he stands up to pass sentence on his people. The LORD comes to pronounce judgment on the leaders of his people and their officials. He says,“It is you who have ruined the vineyard! You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” The Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies has spoken. Washing Away Impurity The LORD says,“The women of Zion are proud. They walk with their heads high and flirt with their eyes. They skip along and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. So the Lord will afflict the foreheads of Zion’s women with skin diseases; the LORD will make the front of their heads bald.” At that time the Lord will remove their beautiful ankle jewelry, neck ornaments, crescent shaped ornaments, earrings, bracelets, veils, headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets, amulets, rings, nose rings, festive dresses, robes, shawls, purses, garments, vests, head coverings, and gowns. A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices, a rope will replace a belt, baldness will replace braided locks of hair, a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe, and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty. Your men will fall by the sword, your strong men will die in battle. Her gates will mourn and lament; deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground.”
For the Lord, the Lord of armies, is about to take away from Jerusalem and from Judah all their support; their store of bread and of water;
The strong man and the man of war; the judge and the prophet; the man who has knowledge of secret arts, and the man who is wise because of his years;
The captain of fifty, and the man of high position, and the wise guide, and the wonder-worker, and he who makes use of secret powers.
And I will make children their chiefs, and foolish ones will have rule over them.
And the people will be crushed, every one by his neighbour; the young will be full of pride against the old, and those of low position will be lifted up against the noble.
When one man puts his hand on another in his father's house, and says, You have clothing, be our ruler and be responsible for us in our sad condition:
Then he will say with an oath, I will not be a helper, for in my house there is no bread or clothing: I will not let you make me a ruler of the people.
For Jerusalem has become feeble, and destruction has come on Judah, because their words and their acts are against the Lord, moving the eyes of his glory to wrath.
Their respect for a man's position is a witness against them; and their sin is open to the view of all; like that of Sodom, it is not covered. A curse on their soul! for the measure of their sin is full.
Happy is the upright man! for he will have joy of the fruit of his ways.
Unhappy is the sinner! for the reward of his evil doings will come on him.
As for my people, their ruler is acting like a child, and those who have authority over them are women. O my people, your guides are the cause of your wandering, turning your footsteps out of the right way.
The Lord is ready to take up his cause against his people, and is about to come forward as their judge.
The Lord comes to be the judge of their responsible men and of their rulers: it is you who have made waste the vine-garden, and in your houses is the property of the poor which you have taken by force.
By what right are you crushing my people, and putting a bitter yoke on the necks of the poor? This is the word of the Lord, the Lord of armies.
Again, the Lord has said, Because the daughters of Zion are full of pride, and go with outstretched necks and wandering eyes, with their foot-chains sounding when they go:
The Lord will send disease on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will let their secret parts be seen.
In that day the Lord will take away the glory of their foot-rings, and their sun-jewels, and their moon-ornaments,
The ear-rings, and the chains, and the delicate clothing,
The head-bands, and the arm-chains, and the worked bands, and the perfume-boxes, and the jewels with secret powers,
The rings, and the nose-jewels,
The feast-day dresses, and the robes, and the wide skirts, and the handbags,
The looking-glasses, and the fair linen, and the high head-dresses, and the veils.
And in the place of sweet spices will be an evil smell, and for a fair band a thick cord; for a well-dressed head there will be the cutting-off of the hair, and for a beautiful robe there will be the clothing of sorrow; the mark of the prisoner in place of the ornaments of the free.
Your men will be put to the sword, and your men of war will come to destruction in the fight.
And in the public places of her towns will be sorrow and weeping; and she will be seated on the earth, waste and uncovered.