Study Desk

Listen to this message that I am singing for you, a lament,^(a) house of Israel:

She has fallen; Virgin Israel^(b) will never rise again.^(c) She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her up.^(d)

For the Lord God says: The city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left,^(e) and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left^(f) in the house of Israel.

For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live!^(g)

Do not seek Bethel^(h) or go to Gilgal⁽ⁱ⁾ or journey to Beer-sheba,^(j) for Gilgal will certainly go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.

Seek Yahweh^(k) and live, or He will spread like fire^(l) throughout the house of Joseph; it will consume everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.^(m)

Those who turn justice into wormwood⁽ⁿ⁾ throw righteousness to the ground.

The One who made the Pleiades and Orion,^(o) who turns darkness^[a] into dawn^(p) and darkens day into night,^(q) who summons the waters of the sea^(r) and pours them out over the face of the earth^(s)— Yahweh is His name.^(t)

He brings destruction^[b] on the strong,^[c](u) and it falls on the stronghold.^(v)

They hate the one who convicts the guilty^(w) at the city gate and despise^(x) the one who speaks with integrity.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor^(y) and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone^(z) you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.^(aa)

For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable. They oppress the righteous,^(ab) take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice^(ac) at the gates.

Therefore, the wise person will keep silent^[d](ad) at such a time, for the days are evil.

Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord , the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.^(ae)

Hate evil and love good;^(af) establish justice in the gate.^(ag) Perhaps the Lord , the God of Hosts, will be gracious^(ah) to the remnant of Joseph.^(ai)

Therefore Yahweh, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: There will be wailing in all the public squares;^(aj) they will cry out in anguish^[e] in all the streets. The farmer will be called on to mourn,^(ak) and professional mourners^[f](al) to wail.

There will be wailing in all the vineyards,^(am) for I will pass among you.^(an) The Lord has spoken.

Woe to you who long for the Day of the Lord !^(ao) What will the Day of the Lord be for you? It will be darkness and not light.^(ap)

It will be like a man who flees from a lion^(aq) only to have a bear confront him. He goes home and rests his hand against the wall only to have a snake bite him.

Won't the Day of the Lord be darkness rather than light,^(ar) even gloom without any brightness in it?^(as)

I hate, I despise your feasts!^(at) I can't stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.^(au)

Even if you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,^(av) I will not accept them;^(aw) I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle.^(ax)

Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.^(ay)

But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.^(az)

"House of Israel, was it sacrifices and grain offerings that you presented to Me during the 40 years in the wilderness?^(ba)

But you have taken up^[g] Sakkuth^[h][i] your king^[j] and Kaiwan^[k] your star god, images you have made for yourselves.^(bb)

So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus."^(bc) Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name.^(bd) He has spoken.