Hear this word which I, יהוה, am lifting up over you, a lament, O house of Yisra'el.

Fallen, she will not again rise, virgin Yisra'el; cast down upon her land, there is no one to raise her.

For thus says Adonai יהוה: The city that goes out a thousand will leave a hundred, and the one that goes out a hundred will leave ten, for the house of Yisra'el.

For thus says יהוה to the house of Yisra'el: Seek Me and live.

And do not seek Beit-El, and do not enter Gilgal, and do not cross Beersheba; for Gilgal will surely be exiled, and Beit-El will become a ruin.

Seek יהוה and live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Yosef, and it consumes, and there is no one to extinguish it for Beit-El.

Those who turn justice into wormwood, and righteousness to the earth, they leave it.

He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the morning into darkness, and darkens the day into night; He who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth—יהוה is His name.

He who causes destruction to flash upon the strong, and destruction to come upon the fortress.

They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they detest the one who speaks truthfully.

Therefore, because you trample the poor and take a bribe of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you will not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you will not drink their wine.

For I know your many transgressions and your numerous sins; you oppress the righteous, you take a bribe, and you turn aside the needy in the gate.

Therefore, the prudent will keep silent at that time, for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil, that you may live, and so יהוה, Elohim of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.

Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate; perhaps יהוה, Elohim of hosts, will show favor to the remnant of Yosef.

Therefore, thus says יהוה, Elohim of hosts, Adonai: In all the public squares there will be wailing, and in all the streets they will say, 'Alas! Alas!' And they will call the farmer to mourning, and to wailing those skilled in lamentation.

And in all the vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through your midst, says יהוה.

Woe to those who long for the day of יהוה! Why do you want the day of יהוה? It is darkness and not light.

It is like when a man flees from a lion, and a bear meets him; and he goes into the house and leans his hand on the wall, and a snake bites him.

Will not the day of יהוה be darkness and not light, and gloom and not brightness upon it?

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I will not smell your solemn assemblies.

For if you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, and I will not look upon your peace offerings of fattened animals.

Take away from Me the noise of your songs, and the melody of your lyres, I will not hear.

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Yisra'el?

And you will carry your king's tabernacle and the pedestals of your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.

And I will exile you beyond Damascus, says יהוה; His name is Elohim of hosts.