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.

¶ O ye sons of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem and blow the shofar in Tekoa and set up as a sign smoke in Bethhaccerem; for evil appears out of the north wind and great destruction.

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

I shall liken the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.

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.

The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed each one his portion.

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 ye war against her; arise, and let us go up towards the south. Woe unto us! for the day goes away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

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

Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us 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 thus hath the LORD of the hosts said, Hew ye down trees and cast a mount against Jerusalem; this is the city that all of her is to be visited; there is violence in the midst of 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 the waters never cease to flow from a fountain, so her wickedness never ceases to flow; injustice and robbery is heard in her; in my presence continually, sickness and wounds.

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

Chastise Jerusalem lest peradventure my soul be disjointed from thee, lest peradventure I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

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 hath the LORD of the hosts said, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine; turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.

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 hearken, behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; 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 fury of the LORD; I have worked hard to hold myself in from pouring it out upon the children in the street, and upon the assembly of young men together; for the husband with the wife shall also be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.

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 shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith 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 unto the greatest of them each one is given to greed; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one 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 treat also the destruction of the daughter of my people lightly, 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 ashamed when they had committed abomination? no, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush; therefore, they shall fall among those that shall fall: at the time that I visit them they shall fall, saith 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 hath the LORD said, Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where the good way is and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

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, Hearken to the sound of the shofar. But they said, We will not hearken.

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

¶ Therefore hear, ye Gentiles, and know, O congregation of Gentiles.

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 will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts because they have not hearkened unto my words, and they hated my law.

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 this incense come to me from Sheba and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not according to my will, nor are your sacrifices sweet unto 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 saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall 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 hath the LORD said, Behold, a people come from the land of the north wind, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides 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 shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and they shall have no mercy; their voice shall roar like the sea; and they shall ride upon horses set in array as men for war against thee, 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 fame thereof; our hands wax feeble; anguish has taken hold of us, and pain as of a woman in travail.

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

Do not go forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear 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 thee with sackcloth and wallow thyself in ashes; make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall 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 thee for a tower and a fortress among my people; thou shalt know and examine their way.

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

They are all rebellious princes; they walk with deception: they are brass 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 are burned; the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melts in vain; for the wicked are not plucked away.

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

Reprobate silver shall men call them because the LORD has rejected them.