1 H ear this word that I am bearing to you, A lamentation, O house of Israel:

Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house of Israel:

2 ` Fallen, not again to rise, hath the virgin of Israel, Left on her land -- she hath no raiser up.'

She has fallen, she will not rise again— The virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is none to raise her up.

3 F or thus said the Lord Jehovah: The city that is going out a thousand, Doth leave an hundred, And that which is going out an hundred, Doth leave ten to the house of Israel.

For thus says the Lord God, “The city which goes forth a thousand strong Will have a hundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred strong Will have ten left to the house of Israel.”

4 F or thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, “ Seek Me that you may live.

5 A nd seek not Beth-El, and Gilgal enter not, And Beer-Sheba pass not through, For Gilgal doth utterly remove, And Beth-El doth become vanity.

“But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble.

6 S eek ye Jehovah, and live, Lest He prosper as fire the house of Joseph, And it hath consumed, And there is no quencher for Beth-El.

“ Seek the Lord that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,

7 Y e who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,

For those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth.”

8 T he maker of Kimah and Kesil, And the turner to morning of death-shade, And day night He hath made dark, Who is calling to the waters of the sea, And poureth them on the face of the earth, Jehovah His name;

He who made the Pleiades and Orion And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The Lord is His name.

9 W ho is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, And the spoiled against a fortress cometh.

It is He who flashes forth with destruction upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10 T hey have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.

They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity.

11 T herefore, because of your trampling on the poor, And the tribute of corn ye take from him, Houses of hewn work ye have built, And ye do not dwell in them, Desirable vineyards ye have planted, And ye do not drink their wine.

Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.

12 F or I have known -- many your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate.

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

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

14 S eek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, with you, as ye said.

Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!

15 H ate evil, and love good, And set up judgment in the gate, It may be Jehovah, God of Hosts, doth pity the remnant of Joseph.

Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 T herefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Lord, In all broad places lamentation, And in all out-places they say, `Alas, alas,' And called the husbandman to mourning, And to lamentation the skilful of wailing.

Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, “There is wailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They also call the farmer to mourning And professional mourners to lamentation.

17 A nd in all vineyards lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah.

“And in all the vineyards there is wailing, Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.

18 H o, ye who are desiring the day of Jehovah, Why this to you -- the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light,

Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light;

19 A s one fleeth from the face of the lion, And the bear hath met him, And he hath come in to the house, And hath leant his hand on the wall, And the serpent hath bitten him.

As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him.

20 I s not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, Even thick darkness that hath no brightness?

Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?

21 I have hated -- I have loathed your festivals, And I am not refreshed by your restraints.

“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 F or though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not.

“Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.

23 T urn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.

“Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.

24 A nd roll on as waters doth judgment, And righteousness as a perennial stream.

“But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25 S acrifices and offering did ye bring nigh to Me, In a wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

“ Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel?

26 A nd ye bare Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, The star of your god, that ye made for yourselves.

You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.

27 A nd I removed you beyond Damascus, Said Jehovah, God of Hosts His name.

Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.