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

Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

2 T he virgin of Israel has fallen; She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; There is no one to raise her up.

The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

3 F or thus says the Lord God: “The city that goes out by a thousand Shall have a hundred left, And that which goes out by a hundred Shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” A Call to Repentance

For 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, to the house of Israel.

4 F or thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live;

For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;

5 B ut do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing.

but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought.

6 S eek the Lord and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel—

Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.

7 Y ou who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”

Ye who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

8 H e made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.

seek him that maketh 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);

9 H e rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.

that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.

10 T hey hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.

They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

11 T herefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them.

Forasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions from him 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 the wine thereof.

12 F or I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.

For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins-ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right.

13 T herefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.

Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time; for it is an evil time.

14 S eek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.

15 H ate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. The Day of the Lord

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

16 T herefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this: “ There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmer to mourning, And skillful lamenters to wailing.

Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all the broad ways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! Alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful in lamentation to wailing.

17 I n all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you,” Says the Lord.

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

18 W oe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.

Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light.

19 I t will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!

As if a man did flee 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.

20 I s not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?

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

21 “ I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.

I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 T hough you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.

Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

23 T ake away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

24 B ut let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

25 “ Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26 Y ou also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves.

Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

27 T herefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus,” Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

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