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

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

2 ` Fallen, not again to rise, hath the virgin of Israel, Left on her land -- she hath no raiser 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 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 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 F or thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,

For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will 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 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 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 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 e who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,

You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness 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;

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

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

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

Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, 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 so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.

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 courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will 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 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 in all vineyards lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah.

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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 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 listen to the music of your harps.

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

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

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

“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, 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 the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

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

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