1Hear this word that I take up for a cry of sorrow lamentationdirge over you, O house of Israel. 2The virgin of Israel has fallen. She will not rise again. She has been thrown down upon her own land. There is none to raise her up. 3The Sovereign and Almighty Lord Jehovah declared: »The city that went forth a thousand will have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred will have ten left, for the house of Israel.« 4Jehovah said to the house of Israel: »Seek me and you will live! 5»Do not seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal. Do not pass to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into captivity exile, and Bethel will come to nothing. 6»Seek Jehovah, and you will live. Lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it will devour, and there will be none to quench it in Bethel. 7You who turn justice to wormwood a curse, and cast righteousness down to the earth 8seek the creator of the cluster of stars named Pleiades and the star constellation Orion. He turns the shadow of death into morning, and makes the day dark with night. He calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth. Jehovah is his name! 9He brings sudden destruction upon the strong. Destruction comes upon the fortress. 10You hate the one who reproves in the gate, and abhor him who speaks the truth with integrity. 11You impose unfair rent on the poor and defraud a tribute of grain from them. You haave built houses of hewn stone yet you will not live in them. You planted pleasant vineyards, but you will not drink the wine from them. 12I know you have many transgressions and your sins are great. You afflict the righteous. You take bribes. You refuse to help the needy at the gate. 13The prudent will keep silent for it is an evil time. 14»Seek good and not evil, that you may live. Jehovah, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have said. 15»Hate evil, and love good! Establish justice in the gate. It may be that Jehovah, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.« 16Listen to Jehovah the God of Hosts, the Almighty: Wailing will be in all the broad ways. They will say in all the streets, »Alas! Alas!« They will call the farmer to mourning, and the professional mourner to lamentation and crying. 17»All vineyards will lament. For I will pass through your midst,« said Jehovah. 18»Woe to you who desire the day of Jehovah! What will the day of Jehovah mean to you? It is darkness, and not light. 19»Like a man who ran from a lion, and a bear met him! So he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20»Will the day of Jehovah be darkness with no light? Will it be very dark, and no brightness in it? 21»I hate, I despise reject your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22»Yes, even if you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them. Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 23»Take the noise of your songs away from me! I will not listen to the melody of your harps. 24»Justice should roll down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. 25»Did you bring sacrifices and offerings to me in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? 26»You have carried the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves. 27»Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity exile beyond Damascus,« said the God of Hosts, whose name is Jehovah.