| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1"Flee for safety, people of Benjamin! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruction. | 1"Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem! Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa And raise a signal over Beth-haccerem; For evil looks down from the north, And a great destruction. |
| 2I will destroy Daughter Zion, so beautiful and delicate. | 2"The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off. |
| 3Shepherds with their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents around her, each tending his own portion." | 3"Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will pitch their tents around her, They will pasture each in his place. |
| 4"Prepare for battle against her! Arise, let us attack at noon! But, alas, the daylight is fading, and the shadows of evening grow long. | 4"Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen! |
| 5So arise, let us attack at night and destroy her fortresses!" | 5"Arise, and let us attack by night And destroy her palaces!" |
| 6This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; it is filled with oppression. | 6For thus says the LORD of hosts, "Cut down her trees And cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression. |
| 7As a well pours out its water, so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her; her sickness and wounds are ever before me. | 7"As a well keeps its waters fresh, So she keeps fresh her wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard in her; Sickness and wounds are ever before Me. |
| 8Take warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you and make your land desolate so no one can live in it." | 8"Be warned, O Jerusalem, Or I shall be alienated from you, And make you a desolation, A land not inhabited." |
| 9This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Let them glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine; pass your hand over the branches again, like one gathering grapes." | 9Thus says the LORD of hosts, "They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel; Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer Over the branches." |
| 10To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. | 10To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it. |
| 11But I am full of the wrath of the LORD, and I cannot hold it in. "Pour it out on the children in the street and on the young men gathered together; both husband and wife will be caught in it, and the old, those weighed down with years. | 11But I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary with holding it in. "Pour it out on the children in the street And on the gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, The aged and the very old. |
| 12Their houses will be turned over to others, together with their fields and their wives, when I stretch out my hand against those who live in the land," declares the LORD. | 12"Their houses shall be turned over to others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land," declares the LORD. |
| 13"From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. | 13"For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely. |
| 14They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace. | 14"They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace. |
| 15Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when I punish them," says the LORD. | 15"Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD. |
| 16This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.' | 16Thus says the LORD, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' |
| 17I appointed watchmen over you and said, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But you said, 'We will not listen.' | 17"And I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.' |
| 18Therefore hear, you nations; you who are witnesses, observe what will happen to them. | 18"Therefore hear, O nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them. |
| 19Hear, you earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law. | 19"Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, The fruit of their plans, Because they have not listened to My words, And as for My law, they have rejected it also. |
| 20What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me." | 20"For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba And the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me." |
| 21Therefore this is what the LORD says: "I will put obstacles before this people. Parents and children alike will stumble over them; neighbors and friends will perish." | 21Therefore, thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, Fathers and sons together; Neighbor and friend will perish." |
| 22This is what the LORD says: "Look, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. | 22Thus says the LORD, "Behold, a people is coming from the north land, And a great nation will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth. |
| 23They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Zion." | 23"They seize bow and spear; They are cruel and have no mercy; Their voice roars like the sea, And they ride on horses, Arrayed as a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Zion!" |
| 24We have heard reports about them, and our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor. | 24We have heard the report of it; Our hands are limp. Anguish has seized us, Pain as of a woman in childbirth. |
| 25Do not go out to the fields or walk on the roads, for the enemy has a sword, and there is terror on every side. | 25Do not go out into the field And do not walk on the road, For the enemy has a sword, Terror is on every side. |
| 26Put on sackcloth, my people, and roll in ashes; mourn with bitter wailing as for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us. | 26O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth And roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us. |
| 27"I have made you a tester of metals and my people the ore, that you may observe and test their ways. | 27"I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, That you may know and assay their way." |
| 28They are all hardened rebels, going about to slander. They are bronze and iron; they all act corruptly. | 28All of them are stubbornly rebellious, Going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; They, all of them, are corrupt. |
| 29The bellows blow fiercely to burn away the lead with fire, but the refining goes on in vain; the wicked are not purged out. | 29The bellows blow fiercely, The lead is consumed by the fire; In vain the refining goes on, But the wicked are not separated. |
| 30They are called rejected silver, because the LORD has rejected them." | 30They call them rejected silver, Because the LORD has rejected them. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | 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 |
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