¹ Hear this word which I am lifting up against you, a dirge, O house of Israel.

² The virgin of Israel has fallen, and will not arise again; she lies forsaken on her land; there is no one raising her up.

³ For so says the Lord Jehovah: The city that goes out by a thousand shall have a hundred left. And that which goes out by a hundred shall have ten left in the house of Israel.

⁴ For so says Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek Me, and live.

⁵ But do not seek Bethel, and do not enter Gilgal, and do not cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall be for nothing.

⁶ Seek Jehovah, and live, that He not break out like a fire on the house of Joseph, and consume, and no one is putting it out for Bethel.

⁷ He abandoned those who turn justice and righteousness into wormwood on the earth.

⁸ He who created the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the deep darkness into the morning, and He darkened the day into night; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, Jehovah is His name;

⁹ who flashes out with destruction on the strong; yea, destruction comes on the fortress.

¹⁰ They hate him who rebukes in the gate, and they despise him who speaks uprightly.

¹¹ So, because of your trampling on the poor, and you take tribute of grain from him. You have built houses of hewn stones, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted desirable vineyards, but you shall not drink wine from them.

¹² For I know your many transgressions, and your many sins: afflicting the just, taking of a bribe, and turning aside the poor in the gate.

¹³ So the understanding ones shall keep silent in that time, for it is an evil time.

¹⁴ Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and so Jehovah the God of hosts shall be with you, as you have spoken.

¹⁵ Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate. It may be that Jehovah the God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶ So Jehovah, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says this: Wailing shall be in all streets, and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! Alas! And they shall call the farmer to the mourning, and those knowing wailing to lamentation.

¹⁷ And wailing shall be in all vineyards, for I will pass among you, says Jehovah.

¹⁸ Woe to those desiring the day of Jehovah! What is this for you? The day of Jehovah is darkness, and not light.

¹⁹ It is as if a man fled before a lion, and the bear met him. Or he goes into the house and leans his hand against the wall, and a snake bites him.

²⁰ Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light; even very dark, and not any brightness in it?

²¹ I hate, I despise your feast days; and I will not delight in your solemn assemblies.

²² Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not be pleased; nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

²³ Take away from Me the noise of your songs; and I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

²⁴ But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

²⁵ Have you brought near sacrifices and food offerings to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

²⁶ Yea, you have carried the booth of your king, and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves!

²⁷ And I will cause you to go into exile beyond Damascus, says Jehovah, the God of hosts is His name.