1Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lamentation I take up against you:Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.2“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her 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.”The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up.3This is what the Lord GOD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong will have but a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”For the Lord Yahweh says: “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.”For thus saith the Lord God; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, to the house of Israel.4For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live!For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.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.But seek not Beth–el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer–sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth–el shall come to nought.but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought.6Seek the LORD and live, or He will sweep like fire through the house of Joseph; it will devour everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.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.Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beth–el.Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.7There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,Ye who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth—the LORD is 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,Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:seek him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth (Jehovah is his name);9He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the stronghold.who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.10There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.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.Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.Forasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions from him of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink the wine thereof.12For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.For I know how many are your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins—ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right.13Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time; for it is an evil time.14Seek good, not evil, so that you may live. And the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.15Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to 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.”Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.16Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail.Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all the broad ways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful in lamentation to wailing.17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh.And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord.And in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.18Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be 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.Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light.19It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.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.As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.20Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?21“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.22Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard.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.Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.23Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.24But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.25Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?26You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you 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.But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.27Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Hosts.Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts.Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.
Berean Standard Bible (public domain).World English Bible (public domain).King James Version (public domain in the US).American Standard Version, 1901 (public domain).