1 Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:
2 "The virgin of Israel has fallen;
She shall rise no more.
She is cast down on her land;
there is no one to raise her up."
3 For the Lord Yahweh says:
"The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left,
and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel."
4 For Yahweh says to the house of Israel:
"Seek me, and you will live;
5 but don’t seek Bethel,
nor enter into Gilgal,
and don’t pass to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.
6 Seek Yahweh, and you will live,
lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.
7 You who turn justice to wormwood,
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8 Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns the shadow of death into the morning,
and makes the day dark with night;
who calls for the waters of the sea,
and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,
9 who brings sudden destruction on the strong,
so that destruction comes on the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.
11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take taxes from him of wheat,
you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them.
You have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your offenses,
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the just,
who take a bribe,
and who turn away the needy in the courts.
13 Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you,
as you say.
15 Hate evil, love good,
and establish justice in the courts.
It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph."
16 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says:
"Wailing will be in all the wide ways.
They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They will call the farmer to mourning,
and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.
17 In all vineyards there will be wailing,
for I will pass through the middle of you," says Yahweh.
18 "Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh!
Why do you long for the day of Yahweh?
It is darkness,
and not light.
19 As if a man fled from a lion,
and a bear met him;
or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall,
and a snake bit him.
20 Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light?
Even very dark, and no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.
22 Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings,
I will not accept them;
neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like rivers,
and righteousness like a mighty stream.
25 "Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel? 26 You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus," says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.
1 以色列家啊！ 要听这话， 就是我为你们唱的挽歌：
2 "童贞女以色列， 跌倒了， 不能再起来； 她被拋弃在自己的地上， 没有人扶她起来。"
3 因为主耶和华论以色列家这样说： "这城派兵一千， 剩下的只有一百； 出兵一百， 只剩下十个。"
4 耶和华对以色列家这样说： "寻求我， 就必存活；
5 不要去伯特利寻求我， 不要去吉甲， 也不要过去别是巴。因为吉甲必被掳掠， 伯特利必化为乌有。"
6 寻求耶和华， 就必存活， 免得他像火在约瑟家猛烈蔓延， 吞灭他们； 没有人能把伯特利的火扑灭。
7 他们使公正变为苦堇， 把公义弃于地上。
8 那创造昴星和参星， 把幽暗变为黎明， 把白日转为黑夜； 又吩咐海水， 把海水倒在地上的； 耶和华就是他的名。
9 是他使毁灭像闪电临到堡垒， 使毁灭临到坚固的城。
10 你们讨厌那在城门口主持公道的人， 恨恶说正直话的。
11 你们欺压穷人， 强征他们的五谷； 因此， 你们用琢磨过的石头建造房屋， 却不能住在其中； 你们栽种美好的葡萄园， 却不能喝园中的酒。
12 因为我知道你们的过犯众多， 罪大恶极； 你们迫害义人， 收受贿赂， 在城门口屈枉穷乏人；
13 为此， 聪明人在这时代缄默无声， 因这时代邪恶。
14 你们要寻求良善， 不要寻求邪恶， 这样才可以存活。耶和华万军的 神就必与你们同在， 正如你们所说的。
15 你们要喜爱良善， 恨恶邪恶， 在城门口伸张正义； 这样， 耶和华万军的 神或会恩待约瑟的余民。
16 因此， 主耶和华万军的 神这样说： "各广场充满哀恸的声音， 街上只听见‘苦啊！ 苦啊！ ’的喊声； 人要召农夫来哀哭， 召善于哭丧的人来哀喊。
17 所有葡萄园充满哀恸的声音， 因为我必在你们中间经过。"这是耶和华说的。
18 渴望耶和华日子来临的人， 你们有祸了！ 耶和华的日子对你们有什么好处呢？那日是黑暗， 没有光明的日子。
19 那日就像一个人避过了狮子， 却遇上了熊； 回到家里， 手靠在墙上， 却被蛇咬。
20 耶和华的日子不是黑暗， 没有光明， 只有幽暗， 全无光辉吗？
21 我憎恨、厌恶你们的节期， 也不喜爱你们的节日。
22 虽然你们给我献上燔祭和素祭， 我却不接受。你们献上肥美的牲畜作平安祭， 我也不悦纳。
23 你们唱歌的吵声要远离我， 我不想听见你们的琴声。
24 但愿公正好像潮水滚流， 公义好像河水长流。
25 以色列家啊！ 你们在旷野四十年， 有献燔祭和素祭给我吗？
26 你们抬着你们的神"撒固"王， 和你们的星神"迦温"的神像， 就是你们为自己所做的。
27 我必使你们被掳， 流亡到大马士革以外。这是耶和华说的， 万军的 神就是他的名。