1Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you , O house of Israel . 2The virgin of Israel is fallen ; she shall no more rise : she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up . 3For thus saith the Lord Jehovah : The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left , and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left , to the house of Israel .
The Call to Seek the Lord
4For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel , Seek ye me , and ye shall live ; 5but seek not Beth-el , nor enter into Gilgal , and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity , and Beth-el shall come to nought . 6Seek Jehovah , and ye shall live ; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph , and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el .
The Justice of God
7Ye who turn justice to wormwood , and cast down righteousness to the earth, 8seek him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion , and turneth the shadow of death into the morning , and maketh the day dark with night ; that calleth for the waters of the sea , and poureth them out upon the face of the earth ( Jehovah is his name ); 9that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong , so that destruction cometh upon the fortress . 10They hate him that reproveth in the gate , and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly . 11Forasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor , and take exactions from him of wheat : ye have built houses of hewn stone , but ye shall not dwell in them ; ye have planted pleasant vineyards , but ye shall not drink the wine thereof . 12For I know how manifold are your transgressions , and how mighty are your sins — ye that afflict the just , that take a bribe , and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right . 13Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time ; for it is an evil time .
The Day of the Lord
14Seek good , and not evil , that ye may live ; and so Jehovah , the God of hosts , will be with you , as ye say. 15Hate the evil , and love the good , and establish justice in the gate : it may be that Jehovah , the God of hosts , will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph . 16Therefore thus saith Jehovah , the God of hosts , the Lord : Wailing shall be in all the broad ways ; and they shall say in all the streets , Alas ! alas ! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning , and such as are skilful in lamentation to wailing . 17And in all vineyards shall be wailing ; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah . 18Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah ! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah ? It is darkness , and not light. 19As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him ; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall , and a serpent bit him . 20Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness , and not light ? even very dark , and no brightness in it ?
A Call for True Worship
21I hate , I despise your feasts , and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies . 22Yea , though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them ; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts . 23Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs ; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols . 24But let justice roll down as waters , and righteousness as a mighty stream . 25Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years , O house of Israel ? 26Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images , the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves . 27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus , saith Jehovah , whose name is the God of hosts .