| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
| 1Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house of Israel: | 1Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you, family of Israel: |
| 2She has fallen, she will not rise again-- The virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is none to raise her up. | 2"The virgin Israel has fallen down and will not get up again. She is abandoned on her own land with no one to help her get up." |
| 3For thus says the Lord GOD, "The city which goes forth a thousand strong Will have a hundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred strong Will have ten left to the house of Israel." | 3The sovereign LORD says this: "The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out with a hundred soldiers will have only ten left for the family of Israel." |
| 4For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me that you may live. | 4The LORD says this to the family of Israel: "Seek me so you can live! |
| 5"But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble. | 5Do not seek Bethel! Do not visit Gilgal! Do not journey down to Beer Sheba! For the people of Gilgal will certainly be carried into exile; and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds." |
| 6"Seek the LORD that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel, | 6Seek the LORD so you can live! Otherwise he will break out like fire against Joseph's family; the fire will consume and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. |
| 7For those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth." | 7The Israelites turn justice into bitterness; they throw what is fair and right to the ground. |
| 8He who made the Pleiades and Orion And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The LORD is His name. | 8(But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion; he can turn the darkness into morning and daylight into night. He summons the water of the seas and pours it out on the earth's surface. The LORD is his name! |
| 9It is He who flashes forth with destruction upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress. | 9He flashes destruction down upon the strong so that destruction overwhelms the fortified places.) |
| 10They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity. | 10The Israelites hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate; they despise anyone who speaks honestly. |
| 11Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine. | 11Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a grain tax from them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted. |
| 12For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate. | 12Certainly I am aware of your many rebellious acts and your numerous sins. You torment the innocent, you take bribes, and you deny justice to the needy at the city gate. |
| 13Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time. | 13For this reason whoever is smart keeps quiet in such a time, for it is an evil time. |
| 14Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! | 14Seek good and not evil so you can live! Then the LORD, the God who commands armies, just might be with you, as you claim he is. |
| 15Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. | 15Hate what is wrong, love what is right! Promote justice at the city gate! Maybe the LORD, the God who commands armies, will have mercy on those who are left from Joseph. |
| 16Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, "There is wailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, 'Alas! Alas!' They also call the farmer to mourning And professional mourners to lamentation. | 16Because of Israel's sins this is what the LORD, the God who commands armies, the sovereign One, says: "In all the squares there will be wailing, in all the streets they will mourn the dead. They will tell the field workers to lament and the professional mourners to wail. |
| 17"And in all the vineyards there is wailing, Because I will pass through the midst of you," says the LORD. | 17In all the vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through your midst," says the LORD. |
| 18Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, For what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light; | 18Woe to those who wish for the day of the LORD! Why do you want the LORD's day of judgment to come? It will bring darkness, not light. |
| 19As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. | 19Disaster will be inescapable, as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear, then escaped into a house, leaned his hand against the wall, and was bitten by a poisonous snake. |
| 20Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it? | 20Don't you realize the LORD's day of judgment will bring darkness, not light--gloomy blackness, not bright light? |
| 21"I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. | 21"I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies! |
| 22"Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. | 22Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied; I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves. |
| 23"Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. | 23Take away from me your noisy songs; I don't want to hear the music of your stringed instruments. |
| 24"But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. | 24Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up. |
| 25"Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? | 25You did not bring me sacrifices and grain offerings during the forty years you spent in the wilderness, family of Israel. |
| 26"You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. | 26You will pick up your images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kiyyun, your star god, 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. | 27and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD. He is called the God who commands armies! |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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