The Skeptics Annotated Bible (527 page)

22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

3
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
,

(3.1) “The LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah … bread, and … water.”

2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

4 And
I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

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.

(3.4-5) “I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour.”

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:

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.

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.

(3.8) “Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD.”

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.

(3.9)
“They declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul!”

10
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him
: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

(3.10) “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him.”
35 Has there ever been a righteous person?

11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

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.

(3.12)
“As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.”
Isaiah shows his contempt for women by saying that things have gotten so bad for his people that “women rule over them.”

13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

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.

15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

(3.16-17) God will “smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion” and “will discover their secret parts” since he doesn’t like the way they dress and walk.