^{1 Ref} Give ear to this word, my song of sorrow over you, O children of Israel.

^{2 Ref} The virgin of Israel has been made low, never again to be lifted up: she is stretched out by herself on her land; there is no one to put her on her feet again.

^{3 Ref} For these are the words of the Lord God: The town which was able to send out a thousand, will have only a hundred; and that which sent out a hundred, will have only ten, in Israel.

^{4 Ref} For these are the words of the Lord to the children of Israel: Let your hearts be turned to me, so that you may have life:

^{5 Ref} Do not be looking for help to Beth-el, and do not go to Gilgal, or make your way to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal will certainly be taken prisoner, and Beth-el will come to nothing.

^{6 Ref} Go to the Lord for help so that you may have life; for fear that he may come like fire bursting out in the family of Joseph, causing destruction, and there will be no one to put it out in Beth-el.

^{7 Ref} You who make the work of judging a bitter thing, crushing down righteousness to the earth;

^{8 Ref} Go for help to him who makes Orion and the Pleiades, by whom the deep dark is turned into morning, who makes the day black with night; whose voice goes out to the waters of the sea, sending them out over the face of the earth: the Lord is his name;

^{9 Ref} Who sends sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the walled town.

^{10 Ref} They have hate for him who makes protest against evil in the public place, and he whose words are upright is disgusting to them.

^{11 Ref} So because the poor man is crushed under your feet, and you take taxes from him of grain: you have made for yourselves houses of cut stone, but you will not take your rest in them; the fair vine-gardens planted by your hands will not give you wine.

^{12 Ref} For I have seen how your evil-doing is increased and how strong are your sins, you troublers of the upright, who take rewards and do wrong to the cause of the poor in the public place.

^{13 Ref} So the wise will say nothing in that time; for it is an evil time.

^{14 Ref} Go after good and not evil, so that life may be yours: and so the Lord, the God of armies, will be with you, as you say.

^{15 Ref} Be haters of evil and lovers of good, and let right be done in the public place: it may be that the Lord, the God of armies, will have mercy on the rest of Joseph.

^{16 Ref} So these are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the Lord: There will be weeping in all the open spaces; and in all the streets they will say, Sorrow! sorrow! and they will get in the farmer to the weeping, and the makers of sad songs to give cries of grief.

^{17 Ref} In all the vine-gardens there will be cries of grief: for I will go through among you, says the Lord.

^{18 Ref} Sorrow to you who are looking for the day of the Lord! what is the day of the Lord to you? it is dark and not light.

^{19 Ref} As if a man, running away from a lion, came face to face with a bear; or went into the house and put his hand on the wall and got a bite from a snake.

^{20 Ref} Will not the day of the Lord be dark and not light? even very dark, with no light shining in it?

^{21 Ref} Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.

^{22 Ref} Even if you give me your burned offerings and your meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: I will have nothing to do with the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

^{23 Ref} Take away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.

^{24 Ref} But let the right go rolling on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

^{25 Ref} Did you come to me with offerings of beasts and meal offerings in the waste land for forty years, O Israel?

^{26 Ref} Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

^{27 Ref} And I will send you away as prisoners farther than Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.

^{1 Ref} Hear this word that I am bearing to you, A lamentation, O house of Israel:

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

^{3 Ref} For 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.

^{4 Ref} For thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,

^{5 Ref} And 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.

^{6 Ref} Seek ye Jehovah, and live, Lest He prosper as fire `against' the house of Joseph, And it hath consumed, And there is no quencher for Beth-El.

^{7 Ref} Ye who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,

^{8 Ref} The maker of Kimah and Kesil, And the turner to morning of death-shade, And day `as' night He hath made dark, Who is calling to the waters of the sea, And poureth them on the face of the earth, Jehovah `is' His name;

^{9 Ref} Who is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, And the spoiled against a fortress cometh.

^{10 Ref} They have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.

^{11 Ref} Therefore, 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.

^{12 Ref} For I have known -- many `are' your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

^{13 Ref} Therefore is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it `is'.

^{14 Ref} Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, `is' with you, as ye said.

^{15 Ref} Hate evil, and love good, And set up judgment in the gate, It may be Jehovah, God of Hosts, doth pity the remnant of Joseph.

^{16 Ref} Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Lord, In all broad places `is' lamentation, And in all out-places they say, `Alas, alas,' And called the husbandman to mourning, And to lamentation the skilful of wailing.

^{17 Ref} And in all vineyards `is' lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah.

^{18 Ref} Ho, ye who are desiring the day of Jehovah, Why `is' this to you -- the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light,

^{19 Ref} As `when' 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.

^{20 Ref} Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, Even thick darkness that hath no brightness?

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

^{22 Ref} For 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.

^{23 Ref} Turn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.

^{24 Ref} And roll on as waters doth judgment, And righteousness as a perennial stream.

^{25 Ref} Sacrifices and offering did ye bring nigh to Me, In a wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

^{26 Ref} And ye bare Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, The star of your god, that ye made for yourselves.

^{27 Ref} And I removed you beyond Damascus, Said Jehovah, God of Hosts `is' His name.

^{1 Ref} Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

^{2 Ref} "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 Ref} For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, And that which went forth one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel."

^{4 Ref} For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel: "Seek me, and you will live;

^{5 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} You who turn justice to wormwood, And cast down righteousness to the earth:

^{8 Ref} 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 Ref} Who brings sudden destruction on the strong, So that destruction comes on the fortress.

^{10 Ref} They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

^{11 Ref} Forasmuch therefore as you trample on the poor, And take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of hewn stone, But you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink their wine.

^{12 Ref} 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 Ref} Therefore he who is prudent shall keep silence in such a time; For it is an evil time.

^{14 Ref} Seek good, and not evil, That you may live; And so Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be with you, As you say.

^{15 Ref} Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."

^{16 Ref} Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the Lord: "Wailing will be in all the broad 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 Ref} In all vineyards there will be wailing; For I will pass through the midst of you," says Yahweh.

^{18 Ref} "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 Ref} 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 Ref} Will the day of Yahweh not be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

^{21 Ref} I hate, I despise your feasts, And I can't stand your solemn assemblies.

^{22 Ref} 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 Ref} Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

^{24 Ref} But let justice roll on like rivers, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

^{25 Ref} "Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

^{26 Ref} Yes, you have borne the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

^{27 Ref} Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus," says Yahweh, whose name is the God of hosts.