1 Hear this word which I take up for you as a adirge, O house of Israel: 2 She has fallen, she will anot rise again-- The bvirgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is cnone to raise her up. 3 For thus says the Lord GOD, "The city which goes forth a thousand strong Will have a ahundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred strong Will have bten left to the house of Israel." 4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, "aSeek Me bthat you may live. 5 "But do not resort to aBethel And do not come to bGilgal, Nor cross over to cBeersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble. 6 "aSeek the Lord that you may live, Or He will break forth like a bfire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel, 7 For those who turn ajustice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth." 8 He who made the aPleiades and Orion And bchanges deep darkness into morning, Who also cdarkens day into night, Who dcalls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The eLord is His name. 9 It is He who aflashes forth with destruction upon the strong, So that bdestruction comes upon the fortress. 10 They hate him who areproves in the gate, And they babhor him who speaks with integrity. 11 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built ahouses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will bnot drink their wine. 12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who adistress the righteous and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate. 13 Therefore at such a time the prudent person akeeps silent, for it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you, aJust as you have said! 15 aHate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts bMay be gracious to the cremnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, "There is awailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, 'Alas! Alas!' They also call the bfarmer to mourning And cprofessional mourners to lamentation. 17 "And in all the avineyards there is wailing, Because I will pass through the midst of you," says the Lord. 18 Alas, you who are longing for the aday of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be bdarkness and not light; 19 As when a man aflees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be adarkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it? 21 "I hate, I areject your festivals, Nor do I bdelight in your solemn assemblies. 22 "Even though you aoffer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the bpeace offerings of your fatlings. 23 "Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. 24 "But let ajustice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 25 "aDid you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? 26 "aYou also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 27 "Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus," says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.