1 “ Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem! Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa And raise a signal over Beth-haccerem; For evil looks down from the north, And a great destruction.

Flee for safety, ye children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a signal in Beth-haccerem; for evil appeareth out of the north, and a great destruction.

2 “ The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off.

The comely and delicate one do I cut off, the daughter of Zion.

3 “ Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will pitch their tents around her, They will pasture each in his place.

Shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.

4 “ Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!

Prepare war against her. Arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day hath declined, for the shadows of the evening are lengthening.

5 “ Arise, and let us attack by night And destroy her palaces!”

Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us destroy her palaces.

6 F or thus says the Lord of hosts, “ Cut down her trees And cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression.

For thus hath Jehovah of hosts said: Hew ye down trees, and cast a mound against Jerusalem. She is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

7 “ As a well keeps its waters fresh, So she keeps fresh her wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard in her; Sickness and wounds are ever before Me.

As a well poureth forth her waters, so she poureth forth her wickedness: violence and destruction are heard in her; before me continually are grief and wounds.

8 “ Be warned, O Jerusalem, Or I shall be alienated from you, And make you a desolation, A land not inhabited.”

Be thou instructed, Jerusalem, lest my soul be alienated from thee; lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.

9 T hus says the Lord of hosts, “They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel; Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer Over the branches.”

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean like a vine the remnant of Israel: turn back thy hand, as a grape-gatherer unto the baskets.

10 T o whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.

To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

11 B ut I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary with holding it in. “ Pour it out on the children in the street And on the gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, The aged and the very old.

And I am full of the fury of Jehovah, I am weary with holding in. Pour it out upon the children in the street, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken; the aged with him full of days.

12 “ Their houses shall be turned over to others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord.

And their houses shall be turned unto others, fields and wives together; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah.

13 “ For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.

For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely.

14 “ They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.

And they have healed the breach of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace! when there is no peace.

15 “ Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.

Are they ashamed that they have committed abomination? Nay, they are not at all ashamed, neither know they what it is to blush. Therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall stumble, saith Jehovah.

16 T hus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Thus saith Jehovah: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the ancient paths, which is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk.

17 “ And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

Also I have set watchmen over you:—Hearken ye to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

18 “ Therefore hear, O nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them.

Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O assembly, what is among them.

19 “ Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, The fruit of their plans, Because they have not listened to My words, And as for My law, they have rejected it also.

Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, the fruit of their thoughts; for they have not hearkened unto my words, and as to my law, they have rejected it.

20 “ For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba And the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”

To what purpose should there come to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor are your sacrifices pleasing unto me.

21 T herefore, thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, Fathers and sons together; Neighbor and friend will perish.” The Enemy from the North

Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall over them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

22 T hus says the Lord, “Behold, a people is coming from the north land, And a great nation will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.

Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation is stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.

23 “ They seize bow and spear; They are cruel and have no mercy; Their voice roars like the sea, And they ride on horses, Arrayed as a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Zion!”

They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as a man for the battle, against thee, daughter of Zion.

24 W e have heard the report of it; Our hands are limp. Anguish has seized us, Pain as of a woman in childbirth.

We have heard the report thereof: our hands are grown feeble; anguish hath taken hold of us, pain as of a woman that travaileth.

25 D o not go out into the field And do not walk on the road, For the enemy has a sword, Terror is on every side.

Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy, terror is on every side.

26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth And roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us.

Daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes: make mourning, for an only son—bitter lamentation; for the spoiler cometh suddenly upon us.

27 “ I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, That you may know and assay their way.”

I have set thee among my people as an assayer, a fortress, that thou mayest know and try their way.

28 A ll of them are stubbornly rebellious, Going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; They, all of them, are corrupt.

They are all the most rebellious of rebels, going about with slander: they are bronze and iron; they are all corrupters.

29 T he bellows blow fiercely, The lead is consumed by the fire; In vain the refining goes on, But the wicked are not separated.

The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed by the fire; they have melted, and melted in vain; and the bad are not plucked away.

30 T hey call them rejected silver, Because the Lord has rejected them.

Reprobate silver shall they call them, for Jehovah hath rejected them.