1 ¶ Hear ye this word, because I raise up a lamentation upon you, O house of Israel.

Hear this word that I am bearing to you, A lamentation, O house of Israel:

2 T he virgin of Israel has fallen; she shall not be able to rise again: she was forsaken upon her land; there is no one to raise her up.

`Fallen, not again to rise, hath the virgin of Israel, Left on her land -- she hath no raiser up.'

3 F or thus hath the Lord GOD said: The city that sent out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which sent forth a hundred shall have ten, in the house of Israel.

For thus said the Lord Jehovah: The city that is going out a thousand, Doth leave an hundred, And that which is going out an hundred, Doth leave ten to the house of Israel.

4 ¶ But thus hath the LORD said unto the house of Israel, Seek me, and ye shall live:

For thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,

5 b ut do not seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and do not pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

And seek not Beth-El, and Gilgal enter not, And Beer-Sheba pass not through, For Gilgal doth utterly remove, And Beth-El doth become vanity.

6 S eek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph and devour it, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

Seek ye Jehovah, and live, Lest He prosper as fire the house of Joseph, And it hath consumed, And there is no quencher for Beth-El.

7 Y e who turn judgment to wormwood and leave off doing righteousness in the earth,

Ye who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,

8 l ook unto him that makes the seven stars and Orion and turns the shadow of death into the morning and makes the day dark with night, that calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name;

The maker of Kimah and Kesil, And the turner to morning of death-shade, And day night He hath made dark, Who is calling to the waters of the sea, And poureth them on the face of the earth, Jehovah His name;

9 t hat strengthens the spoiler against the strong, so that the spoiler shall come against the fortress.

Who is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, And the spoiled against a fortress cometh.

10 T hey hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly.

They have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.

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

Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor, And the tribute of corn ye take from him, Houses of hewn work ye have built, And ye do not dwell in them, Desirable vineyards ye have planted, And ye do not drink their wine.

12 F or I have known of your many rebellions and your great sins that afflict the just and take a ransom and turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

For I have known -- many your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

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

Therefore is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it.

14 S eek that which is good, and not that which is evil that ye may live; and so the LORD, the God of the hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, with you, as ye said.

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

Hate evil, and love good, And set up judgment in the gate, It may be Jehovah, God of Hosts, doth pity the remnant of Joseph.

16 ¶ Therefore the LORD, the God of the hosts, the Lord, said this: Wailing shall be in all streets, and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Lord, In all broad places lamentation, And in all out-places they say, `Alas, alas,' And called the husbandman to mourning, And to lamentation the skilful of wailing.

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

And in all vineyards lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah.

18 W oe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD shall be darkness, and not light.

Ho, ye who are desiring the day of Jehovah, Why this to you -- the day of Jehovah? It is 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 one fleeth from the face of the lion, And the bear hath met him, And he hath come in to the house, And hath leant his hand on the wall, And the serpent hath bitten him.

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

Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, Even thick darkness that hath no brightness?

21 ¶ I hate, I despise your solemnities, and I will not savour your assemblies.

I have hated -- I have loathed your festivals, And I am not refreshed by your restraints.

22 T hough ye offer me your burnt offerings and your presents, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

For though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not.

23 T ake away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy instruments.

Turn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.

24 B ut let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

And roll on as waters doth judgment, And righteousness as a perennial stream.

25 D id you perchance offer me any sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness in forty years, O house of Israel?

Sacrifices and offering did ye bring nigh to Me, In a wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26 B ut ye have offered unto Sicut your king, and unto Chiun your idols, the star of your gods which ye made.

And ye bare Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, The star of your god, that ye made for yourselves.

27 T herefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, said the LORD, whose name is The God of the hosts.

And I removed you beyond Damascus, Said Jehovah, God of Hosts His name.