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

Hear this word, O people of Israel, this song of sorrow which I sing for you:

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

“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.”

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 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.”

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

The Lord says to the people of Israel, “Look for Me and 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 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.”

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.

Look 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.

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

You turn what is right into something bitter. You throw what is right and good 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;

The 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.

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

He destroys the strong, so that the strong city is laid waste.

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

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

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.

You 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.

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 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.

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

The wise man keeps quiet at such a time, for it is a sinful 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.

Look for good and not sin, that you may live. Then the Lord God of All will 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 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

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.

So 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.

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

And there are cries of sorrow in all the grape-fields, because I will pass among 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,

It 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.

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.

It 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.

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, very dark with nothing bright in it?

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 with you Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun your star god, the false gods you made for yourselves.

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

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