| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: | 1Listen to this message that I am singing for you, a lament, house of Israel: |
| 2“Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.” | 2She has fallen; Virgin Israel will never rise again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her up. |
| 3For thus says the Lord GOD: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” | 3For the Lord GOD says: The city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left in the house of Israel. |
| 4For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live; | 4For the LORD says to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live! |
| 5but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” | 5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal or journey to Beer-sheba, for Gilgal will certainly go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing. |
| 6Seek the LORD and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, | 6Seek Yahweh and live, or He will spread like fire throughout the house of Joseph; it will consume everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it. |
| 7O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth! | 7Those who turn justice into wormwood throw righteousness to the ground. |
| 8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the 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; | 8The One who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the earth-- Yahweh is His name. |
| 9who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress. | 9He brings destruction on the strong, and it falls on the stronghold. |
| 10They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. | 10They hate the one who convicts the guilty at the city gate and despise the one who speaks with integrity. |
| 11Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. | 11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted. |
| 12For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. | 12For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable. They oppress the righteous, take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice at the gates. |
| 13Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. | 13Therefore, the wise person will keep silent at such a time, for the days are evil. |
| 14Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. | 14Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed. |
| 15Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. | 15Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. |
| 16Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: “In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation, | 16Therefore Yahweh, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: There will be wailing in all the public squares; they will cry out in anguish in all the streets. The farmer will be called on to mourn, and professional mourners to wail. |
| 17and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD. | 17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass among you. The LORD has spoken. |
| 18Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, | 18Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light. |
| 19as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. | 19It will be like a man who flees from a lion only to have a bear confront him. He goes home and rests his hand against the wall only to have a snake bite him. |
| 20Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? | 20Won't the Day of the LORD be darkness rather than light, even gloom without any brightness in it? |
| 21“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. | 21I hate, I despise your feasts! I can't stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. |
| 22Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. | 22Even if you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle. |
| 23Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. | 23Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. |
| 24But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. | 24But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream." |
| 25“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? | 25House of Israel, was it sacrifices and grain offerings that you presented to Me during the 40 years in the wilderness? |
| 26You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, | 26But you have taken up Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, images you have made for yourselves. |
| 27and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. | 27So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus." Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name. He has spoken. |
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