Study Desk

For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek Me so that you may live.

For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

"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 nothing.

But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

"Seek the LORD so that you may live, Or He will break through like a fire, house of Joseph, And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,

Seek the Lord , and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

For those who turn justice into wormwood, And throw righteousness to the earth."

Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

He 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.

Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:

It is He who makes destruction flash upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress.

That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

They hate him who rebukes in the gate, And they despise him who speaks with integrity.

They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And take a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of cut stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.

Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.

For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great, You who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes, And turn away the poor from justice at the gate.

For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.

Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil, so that you may live; And so may the LORD God of armies be with you, Just as you have said!

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord , the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of armies Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

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 unto the remnant of Joseph.