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² "Fallen, no more to rise,
    is ^(b)the virgin Israel;
forsaken on her land,
    with none to raise her up."

"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."

^(c)"Seek me and live;
⁵     but do not seek ^(d)Bethel,
and do not enter into ^(e)Gilgal
    or cross over to ^(f)Beersheba;
for ^(g)Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
    and ^(h)Bethel shall come to nothing."

^6 (i)Seek the Lord and live,
    ^(j)lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
    and it devour, with none to quench it for ^(k)Bethel,
⁷ O ^(l)you who turn justice to wormwood^[a]
    and cast down righteousness to the earth!

⁸ He who made the ^(m)Pleiades and Orion,
    and turns deep darkness into the morning
    and ⁽ⁿ⁾darkens the day into night,
who ^(o)calls for the waters of the sea
    ^(p)and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
^(q)the Lord is his name;
^9 (r)who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
    so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

^10 (s)They hate him who reproves ^(t)in the gate,
    and they ^(u)abhor him who speaks the truth.
¹¹ Therefore because you ^(v)trample on^[b] the poor
    and you exact taxes of grain from him,
^(w)you have built houses of hewn stone,
    but you shall not dwell in them;
^(x)you have planted pleasant vineyards,
    but you shall not drink their wine.
¹² For I know how many are your transgressions
    and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who ^(y)take a bribe,
    and ^(z)turn aside the needy ^(aa)in the gate.
¹³ Therefore he who is prudent will ^(ab)keep silent in such a time,
    ^(ac)for it is an evil time.

^14 (ad)Seek good, and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the Lord, ^(ae)the God of hosts, will be with you,
    as you have said.
^15 (af)Hate evil, and love good,
    and establish justice ^(ag)in the gate;
^(ah)it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

"In all the squares ^(aj)there shall be wailing,
    and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!'
They shall call the farmers to mourning
    and ^(ak)to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
¹⁷ and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
    for ^(al)I will pass through your midst,"
says the Lord.

¹⁸ Woe to you who desire ^(am)the day of the Lord!
    Why would you have the day of the Lord?
^(an)It is darkness, and not light,
^{19     (ao)}as 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.
^20 (ap)Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

^21 (aq)"I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
^22 (ar)Even 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.
²³ Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to ^(as)the melody of your harps I will not listen.
²⁴ But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.