1 H ear this word, O people of Israel, this song of sorrow which I sing for you:

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

2 “ The young pure woman Israel has fallen, and she will not rise again. She is left alone on her land. There is no one to raise her up.”

“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”

3 F or the Lord God says, “The city of Israel that sends out a thousand soldiers will have a hundred left. And the one that sends out a hundred will have ten left.”

For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

4 T he Lord says to the people of Israel, “Look for Me and live.

For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

5 B ut do not look for Bethel. Do not go to Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba. For the people of Gilgal will be taken away to a strange land, and Bethel will come to nothing.”

but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

6 L ook for the Lord and live, or He will break out like fire in the family of Joseph. It will destroy, and no one in Bethel will be able to stop it.

Seek Yahweh, and you will live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

7 Y ou turn what is right into something bitter. You throw what is right and good down to the earth.

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

8 T he Lord made the stars of Pleiades and Orion. He changes darkness into morning, and turns day into night. He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth. The Lord is His name.

seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,

9 H e destroys the strong, so that the strong city is laid waste.

who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.

10 T hey hate him who speaks strong words in the gate. They hate him who speaks the truth.

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

11 Y ou crush the poor under foot and make them pay taxes with their grain. Because of this, even though you have built houses of cut stone, you will not live in them and even though you have planted beautiful grape-fields, you will not drink their wine.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor, and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12 F or I know that you have done much wrong and your sins are many. You make trouble for those who are right and good, and you take pay in secret for wrong-doing. You will not be fair to the poor.

For I know how many your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the courts.

13 T he wise man keeps quiet at such a time, for it is a sinful time.

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

14 L ook for good and not sin, that you may live. Then the Lord God of All will be with you, just as you have said.

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

15 H ate sin, and love good. And let what is fair be done at the gate. It may be that the Lord God of All will show kindness to those left of Joseph. The Day of the Lord

Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

16 S o the Lord, the Lord God of All, says, “There is a loud crying in the city. In all the streets they say, ‘It is bad! It is bad!’ They call the farmers to cry in sorrow. They call those whose work is to cry over the dead to sing songs of sorrow.

Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways; and they will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.

17 A nd there are cries of sorrow in all the grape-fields, because I will pass among you,” says the Lord.

In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh.

18 I t is bad for you who want the day of the Lord to come. For what will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light.

“Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light.

19 I t will be as when a man runs away from a lion and is met by a bear. It will be as when a man goes home and rests with his hand against the wall, and gets bitten by a snake.

As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; Or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

20 W ill not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, very dark with nothing bright in it?

Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21 “ I hate your special suppers. I will have nothing to do with them. And I am not pleased with your religious meetings.

I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.

22 E ven if you give Me burnt gifts and grain gifts in worship, I will not receive them. I will not even look at the peace gifts of your fat animals.

Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

23 T ake the noise of your songs away from Me. I will not listen to the sound of your harps.

Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 B ut let what is fair roll down like waters. Let what is right and good flow forever like a river.

But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

25 “ O people of Israel, was it to Me you gave gifts of animals and grain on the altar for forty years in the desert?

“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

26 Y ou also carried with you Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun your star god, the false gods you made for yourselves.

You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

27 S o I will make you go as prisoners to the other side of Damascus,” says the Lord, Whose name is the God of All.

Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.