1Hear this word that I am bearing to you, || A lamentation, O house of Israel:
2“Fallen, not to rise again, has the virgin of Israel, || Left on her land—she has none [to] raise [her] up.”
3For thus said Lord YHWH: “The city that is going out one thousand, || Leaves one hundred, || And that which is going out one hundred, || Leaves ten to the house of Israel.”
4For thus said YHWH to the house of Israel: “Seek Me, and live,
5And do not seek Beth-El, and do not enter Gilgal, || And do not pass through Beer-Sheba, || For Gilgal utterly removes, || And Beth-El becomes vanity.
6Seek YHWH, and live, || Lest He prosper as fire [against] the house of Joseph, || And it has consumed, || And there is no quencher for Beth-El—
7You who are turning judgment to wormwood, || And have put down righteousness to the earth!”
8The Maker of the Pleiades and Orion, || And He who is turning death-shade to the morning—And He has made day [as] dark [as] night—Who is calling to the waters of the sea, || And pours them on the face of the earth, || YHWH [is] His Name;
9Who is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, || And the spoiled comes against a fortress.
10They have hated a reprover in the gate, || And they detest a plain speaker.
11Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor, || And the tribute of grain you take from him, || Houses of hewn work you have built, || And you do not dwell in them, || Desirable vineyards you have planted, || And you do not drink their wine.
12For I have known—many [are] your transgressions, || And mighty your sins, || Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, || And you turned aside the needy in the gate.
13Therefore the wise is silent at that time, || For it [is] an evil time.
14Seek good, and not evil, that you may live, and it is so; YHWH, God of Hosts, [is] with you, as you said.
15Hate evil, and love good, || And set up judgment in the gate, || It may be YHWH, God of Hosts, pities the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore, thus said YHWH, God of Hosts, the Lord: “Lamentation is in all broad places, || And in all out-places they say, Oh! Oh! And called the farmer to mourning, || And the skillful of wailing to lamentation.
17And in all vineyards [is] lamentation, || For I pass into your midst,” said YHWH.
18Behold, you who are desiring the Day of YHWH, || Why [is] this to you—the Day of YHWH? It is darkness, and not light,
19As [when] one flees from the face of the lion, || And the bear has met him, || And he has come into the house, || And has leaned his hand on the wall, || And the serpent has bitten him.
20Is not the Day of YHWH darkness and not light, || Even thick darkness that has no brightness?
21“I have hated—I have loathed your festivals, || And I am not refreshed by your restraints.
22For though you cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, || I am not pleased, || And I do not behold the peace-offering of your fatlings.
23Turn the noise of your songs aside from Me, || Indeed, I do not hear the praise of your stringed instruments.
24And judgment rolls on as waters, || And righteousness as a perennial stream.
25Did you bring sacrifices and offerings near to Me, || In a wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26And you bore Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, || The star of your god, that you made for yourselves.
27And I removed you beyond Damascus,” said YHWH—God of Hosts [is] His Name.