 1 Hear this word that I take up against you, a dirge, O house of Israel. 2 The virgin of Israel has fallen. She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land. There is no one to raise her up. 3 For thus says the Lord God: The city that went out by a thousand will leave 100 and what went out by 100 will have ten left in the house of Israel. 4 Thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me and you will live. 5 But do not seek Bethel nor enter into Gilgal, and do not pass to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing. 6 Seek the Lord, and you will live. Lest He break out like a fire on the house of Joseph and devour it, and there be none to put it out in Bethel. 7 You who turn judgment to wormwood and leave off righteousness in the earth, 8 seek Him who created the Pleiades and Orion, and who turned the deep darkness into the morning and He darkened the day into night. Seek Him who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth. The Lord is His name; 9 who causes destruction to flash out against the strong, and destruction comes against the fortress 10 They hate him who rebukes in the gate, and they despise him who speaks uprightly. 11 So, because of your trampling on the poor, and you take tribute of grain from him. You have built houses of carved stone, but you will not live in them. You have planted desirable vineyards, but you will not drink wine from them. 12 For I know your many transgressions and your many sins. They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate. 13 So the understanding ones will keep silent in that time. For it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live. And so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have spoken. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16 So the Lord, the God of hosts, the Master, says this: Wailing will be in all streets. In all the highways they will say, Alas. Alas. They will call the tiller to mourning and those who are skillful in mourning to wailing. 17 There will be wailing in all vineyards. For I will pass through you, says the Lord. 18 Woe to those desiring the day of the Lord. What is this for you? The day of the Lord is darkness and not light; 19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him. Or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him. 20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it? 21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Though you offer me burnt offerings and your food offerings, I will not be pleased. Nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals. 23 Take the noise of your songs away from me. For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let judgment roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. 25 Have you offered sacrifices and offerings to me 40 years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 But you have carried the booth of your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods that you made for yourselves. 27 So I will cause you to go into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, the God of hosts is His name.
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