1 H ear this word, a lamentation, which I take up against you, O house of Israel.

Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house of Israel:

2 T he virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more arise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

She has fallen, she will not rise again— The virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is none to raise her up.

3 F or thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, for the house of Israel.

For thus says the Lord God, “The city which goes forth a thousand strong Will have a hundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred strong Will have ten left to the house of Israel.”

4 F or thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live.

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, “ Seek Me that you may live.

5 A nd seek not Bethel, neither go to Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

“But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble.

6 S eek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour, and there be none to quench in Bethel.

“ Seek the Lord that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,

7 Y e who turn judgment to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

For those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth.”

8 t hat made the Pleiades and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah is his name.

He who made the Pleiades and Orion And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The Lord is His name.

9 H e causeth destruction to break forth suddenly upon the strong, and bringeth destruction upon the fortress.

It is He who flashes forth with destruction upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10 T hey hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity.

11 F orasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, and take from him presents of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, and ye shall not drink the wine of them.

Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.

12 F or I know how manifold are your transgressions and your sins mighty: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the needy in the gate.

For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate.

13 T herefore the prudent shall keep silence in this time; for it is an evil time.

Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.

14 S eek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye say.

Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!

15 H ate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 T herefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all broadways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! alas! And they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, “There is wailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They also call the farmer to mourning And professional mourners to lamentation.

17 A nd in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

“And in all the vineyards there is wailing, Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.

18 W oe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! To what end is the day of Jehovah for you? It shall be darkness and not light:

Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light;

19 a s if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him.

20 S hall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 F or if ye offer up unto me burnt-offerings and your oblations, I will not accept; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fatted beasts.

“Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.

23 T ake away from me the noise of thy songs, and I will not hear the melody of thy lutes;

“Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.

24 b ut let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream.

“But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25 D id ye bring unto me sacrifices and oblations in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

“ Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel?

26 Y ea, ye took up the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye had made to yourselves;

You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.

27 a nd I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.

Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.