1 S trengthen yourselves, sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem, And in Tekoa blow ye a trumpet, And over Beth-Haccerem lift ye up a flame, For evil hath been seen from the north, And great destruction.

Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem! And blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise a signal over Beth-haccherem! For evil is looking forth with eagerness from the north, and great destruction.

2 T he comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion.

The comely and delicate one, the Daughter of Zion, I will destroy.

3 U nto her come do shepherds and their droves, They have stricken tents by her round about, They have fed each his own station.

Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her; they shall pitch their tents round about her; they shall pasture, each one in his place.

4 S anctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening,

Prepare yourselves for war against her; up, let us attack her at noon! But alas, the day declines, the evening shadows lengthen.

5 ` Rise, and we go up by night, And we destroy her palaces.'

Arise, let us go by night and destroy her palaces!

6 F or thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She the city to be inspected, Wholly -- she is oppression in her midst.

For the Lord of hosts has said, Hew down her trees and cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city which must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.

7 A s the digging of a well, is its waters, So she hath digged her wickedness, Violence and spoil is heard in her, Before My face continually sickness and smiting.

As a fountain wells up and casts forth its waters and keeps them fresh, so she is casting forth wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard within her; sickness and wounds are continually before Me.

8 B e instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.

Be corrected, reformed, instructed, and warned, O Jerusalem, lest I be alienated and parted from you, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land.

9 T hus said Jehovah of Hosts: They surely glean, as a vine, the remnant of Israel, Put back thy hand, as a gatherer to the baskets.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean as a vine what is left of Israel; turn back your hand again and again into the baskets, like a grape gatherer, and strip the tendrils.

10 T o whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it.

To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear or obey. Behold, the word of the Lord has become to them a reproach and the object of their scorn; they have no delight in it.

11 A nd with the fury of Jehovah I have been filled, (I have been weary of containing,) To pour on the suckling in the street, And on the assembly of youths together, For even husband with wife are captured, An elder with one full of days,

Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary of restraining it. I will pour it out on the children in the street and on the gathering of young men together; for even the husband with the wife will be taken, the aged with the very old.

12 A nd their houses have been turned to others, Fields and wives together, For I stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah.

And their houses will be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord.

13 F or from their least unto their greatest, Every one is gaining dishonest gain, And from prophet even unto priest, Every one is dealing falsely,

For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness (to greed for unjust gain); and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.

14 A nd they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, `Peace, peace!' and there is no peace.

They have healed also the wound of the daughter of My people lightly and neglectfully, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

15 T hey were ashamed when they did abomination! Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Yea, blushing they have not known, Therefore they do fall among those falling, In the time I have inspected them, They stumble, said Jehovah.

Were they brought to shame because they had committed abominations (extremely disgusting and vile things)? No, they were not at all ashamed, nor could they blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them they shall be overthrown, says the Lord.

16 T hus said Jehovah: Stand ye by the ways and see, and ask for paths of old, Where this -- the good way? and go ye in it, And find rest for yourselves. And they say, `We do not go.'

Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it!

17 A nd I have raised up for you watchmen, Attend ye to the voice of the trumpet. And they say, `We do not attend.'

Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hear and obey the sound of the trumpet! But they said, We will not listen or obey.

18 T herefore hear, O nations, and know, O company, That which upon them.

Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what to them.

19 H ear, O earth, lo, I am bringing evil on this people, The fruit of their devices, For to My words they gave no attention, And My law -- they kick against it.

Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing evil upon this people, the fruit of their thoughts (their schemes and devices) because they have not listened and obeyed My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it.

20 W hy this to Me? frankincense from Sheba cometh, And the sweet cane from a land afar off, Your burnt-offerings not for acceptance, And your sacrifices have not been sweet to Me.

To what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor are your sacrifices sweet or pleasing to Me.

21 T herefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I do give to this people stumbling blocks, And stumbled against them have fathers and sons together, The neighbour and his friend do perish.

Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people. And the fathers and the sons together will stumble against them; the neighbor and his friend will perish.

22 T hus said Jehovah: Lo, a people hath come from a north country, And a great nation is stirred up from the sides of the earth.

Thus says the Lord: Behold, a people is coming from the north country, and a great nation is arousing itself from the ends of the earth.

23 B ow and javelin they take hold of, Fierce it, and they have no mercy, Their voice as a sea doth sound, And on horses they ride, set in array as a man of war, Against thee, O daughter of Zion.

They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel (ruthless and inhuman) and have no mercy. Their voice sounds like the roaring sea; they ride on horses, every one set in array as a man for battle against you, O Daughter of Zion!

24 ` We have heard its sound, feeble have been our hands, Distress hath seized us, pain as of a travailing woman.

We have heard the report of it; our hands become feeble and helpless. Anguish has taken hold of us, pangs like that of a woman in childbirth.

25 G o not forth to the field, And in the way walk not, For a sword hath the enemy, fear round about.

Go not out into the field nor walk on the road, for the enemy is armed with the sword; terror is on every side.

26 O daughter of My people, Gird on sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes, The mourning of an only one make for thee, A lamentation most bitter, For suddenly come doth the spoiler against us.

O daughter of my people, gird yourself with sackcloth and wallow in ashes; make mourning as for an only son, a most bitter lamentation, for the destroyer will suddenly come upon us.

27 A watch-tower I have given thee, Among My people a fortress, And thou knowest, and hast tried their way.

I have set you as an assayer and a prover of ore among My people, that you may know and try their doings and be like a watchtower.

28 A ll of them are turned aside by apostates, Walking slanderously -- brass and iron, All of them are corrupters.

They are all the worst of rebels and utter and total revolters against God, going about publishing slander. They are bronze and iron; they are all corrupters.

29 T he bellows have been burnt, By fire hath the lead been consumed, In vain hath a refiner refined, And the wicked have not been drawn away.

The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain do they continue refining, for the wicked are not removed.

30 ` Silver rejected,' they have called to them, For Jehovah hath kicked against them!

Men will call them reprobate and rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.