The consequence of the Day of God, which will humble the proud and lofty, will be the complete breakdown of societal hierarchies. God will remove from Jerusalem all its leadership—the very figures upon whom society depends: “For behold: the Master, the Lord of Hosts, is taking from Jerusalem, from Yehuda all support, all sustenance” (3:1). The upper echelon, which during this prophecy’s time acted with tyranny and arrogance, will be stripped of its position. The result will be the rise of unqualified and inexperienced leaders: “I shall make children their princes” (3:4), people not paying attention to authority: “The people will be oppressed, one by another, each by his friend; children will lord it over old men, and those who are contemptible over those who merit honor” (3:5). Furthermore, no one will be willing to assume public responsibility: "A man will grasp hold of his brother there in his father's house: ‘You - you have a cloak: be our leader; let this ruin be in your charge.’ And he, on that day, will raise his voice, ‘How can I be the one to bandage you? in my house no bread, no cloak; do not make me a leader of men'." (3:6–7). Leadership, once a source of power and privilege, will no longer attract anyone, as no one will want to lead a destitute and broken people.

The next section explains the sin that led to this state: the leaders’ abuse of the vulnerable in society. “The Lord is coming to trial with His people's elders, its princes: ‘It is you who ravaged the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your homes. By what right do you crush My people, grinding the faces of the poor?’  So speaks the Lord God of Hosts” (3:13–15).

The second half of the chapter shifts focus to another aspect of the collapse of the upper class in Yehuda: not the leaders, but the women. These pampered and haughty women will face God’s revenge. Yeshayahu vividly describes the various garments and accessories they will lose, emphasizing the stark contrast between their excessive preoccupation with vanity and the state of their suffering and impoverished nation.