5:1 Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house of Israel: |
5:2 She has fallen, she will not rise again-- The virgin Israel. She {lies} neglected on her land; There is none to raise her up. |
5:3 For thus says the Lord GOD, "The city which goes forth a thousand {strong} Will have a hundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred {strong} Will have ten left to the house of Israel." |
5:4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me that you may live. |
5:5 "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 trouble. |
5:6 "Seek the LORD that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench {it} for Bethel, |
5:7 {For} those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth." |
5:8 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. |
5:9 It is He who flashes forth {with} destruction upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress. |
5:10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks {with} integrity. |
5:11 Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, {Though} you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine. |
5:12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, {You} who distress the righteous {and} accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate. |
5:13 Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time. |
5:14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! |
5:15 Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate! Perhaps the LORD God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. |
5:16 Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, "There is wailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, `Alas! Alas!' They also call the farmer to mourning And professional mourners to lamentation. |
5:17 "And in all the vineyards {there is} wailing, Because I will pass through the midst of you, says the LORD." |
5:18 Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, For what purpose {will} the day of the LORD {be} to you? It {will be} darkness and not light; |
5:19 As when a man flees from a lion And a bear meets him, Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. |
5:20 {Will} not the day of the LORD {be} darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it? |
5:21 "I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. |
5:22 "Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept {them;} And I will not {even} look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. |
5:23 "Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. |
5:24 "But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. |
5:25 "Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? |
5:26 "You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. |
5:27 "Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts." |