A song of lament

¹Hear this word—a funeral song—that I am lifting up against you, house of Israel:

²Fallen, no more to rise,

deserted on her land,

³The LORD God proclaims:

The city that marched out one thousand people

and the city that marched out one hundred will have ten left in the house of Israel.

Words of encouragement

⁴The LORD proclaims to the house of Israel:

⁵But don’t seek Bethel,

for Gilgal will go into exile,

⁶Seek the LORD and live,

Words of doom

⁷Doom to you who turn justice into poison,

⁸The one who made the Pleiades and Orion,

who summons the waters of the sea,

⁹who causes destruction to flash out against the strong,

¹⁰They hate the one who judges at the city gate,

¹¹Truly, because you crush the weak,

you have built houses of carved stone,

you have planted pleasant vineyards,

¹²I know how many are your crimes,

afflicting the righteous,

¹³Therefore, the one who is wise will keep silent in that time;

Words of inspiration

¹⁴Seek good and not evil,

and so the LORD , the God of heavenly forces,

¹⁵Hate evil, love good,

Perhaps the LORD God of heavenly forces

Divine wrath anticipated

¹⁶Truly, the LORD proclaims,

Crying will be heard in all the squares.

They will call upon the farmers to wail,

¹⁷In all the vineyards there will be bitter crying because

A statement of divine disgust

¹⁸Doom to those who desire the day of the LORD !

It is darkness, not light;

¹⁹as if someone fled from a lion,

or sought refuge in a house,

²⁰Isn’t the day of the LORD darkness, not light;

²¹I hate, I reject your festivals;

I don’t enjoy your joyous assemblies.

²²If you bring me your entirely burned offerings and gifts of food—

I won’t even look at your offerings of well-fed animals.

²³Take away the noise of your songs;

²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,

²⁵Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings

²⁶You will take up Sakkuth your king,

²⁷Therefore, I will take you away