Read the Bible

¹ Hear ye this word, which, I, am taking up concerning you - even a dirge, O house of Israel.² She hath fallen - she cannot again rise, the virgin, Israel, - she lieth forsaken on her soil, there is none to raise her up.³ For, thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, The city that goeth out a thousand strong, shall have left it a hundred, - And, that which goeth out a hundred strong, shall have left it ten, belonging to the house of Israel.

⁴ For, thus, saith Yahweh, to the house of Israel, - Seek me, and live;⁵ Then do not seek Bethel, and, Gilgal, shall ye not enter, and, unto Beer-sheba, shall ye not cross over, For, Gilgal, shall, surely go into exile, and, Bethel, shall become a trouble.⁶ Seek ye Yahweh, and live, - lest he break forth, like a fire, upon the house of Joseph, and it devour with none to quench it, for Bethel.⁷ Ye who turn, into, wormwood, justice, and, righteousness - to the ground have let fall.⁸ Seek him who made the Cluster and the Giant, and turneth, into morning, the shadow of death, and who, day into night, doth darken, Him who calleth to the waters of the sea, and poureth them out on the face of the land, Yahweh, is his name:⁹ Him who flasheth force on the strong, - and, force, on the fortress, alighteth!¹⁰ They hate the man who, in the gate, rebuketh, - and, him who speaketh truthfully, they abhor.¹¹ Therefore - because ye have trampled on the poor, and, the gift of corn, ye would take away from him, though, houses of hewn stone, ye have built, Yet shall ye not dwell in them, - Though, delightful vineyards, ye have planted, Yet shall ye not drink the wine of them.¹² For I know how numerous are your transgressions, and how surpassing your sins, - ye adversaries of the righteous! ye acceptors of a bribe! Even the needy in the gate, have they turned away!¹³ Therefore, the prudent man, at that time, will be dumb, - Because an evil time, it is!¹⁴ Seek ye right and not wrong, that ye nay live, - that, so, Yahweh God of hosts, may be with you, as ye have said.¹⁵ Hate wrong, and love right, and station, Justice, in the gate, - Peradventure, Yahweh, God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶ Therefore, thus, saith Yahweh, God of hosts, My Lord, In all broadways, shall be lamentation, and, in all streets, shall they say, Alas! Alas! And they shall call the husbandman unto the mourning, and, unto the lamentation, them who know a wailing song;¹⁷ Ye, in all vineyards, lamentation, - For I will pass along through thy midst, saith Yahweh.¹⁸ Alas for them who are longing for the day of Yahweh, - What good to you, is the day of Yahweh? it, being darkness and not light:¹⁹ As if a man should flee from the face of a lion, and there should meet him - a bear! or he should have entered the house, and leaned his hand upon the wall, and there should bite him - a serpent!²⁰ Shall not the day of Yahweh be, darkness, and not light? yea, thick darkness and no brightness in it?

²¹ I hate, I despise your festivals, - and can scent no fragrance in your solemn feasts.²² Nay, though ye cause to ascend unto me ascending-sacrifices, and your meal-offerings, I will not accept them , - nor, the peace-offering of your fat heifers, will I regard.²³ Take thou away from me, the noise of thy songs, - Even the melody of thy harps, will I not hear.²⁴ But let, justice, roll along like water, - and, righteousness, as a torrent over flowing.²⁵ The sacrifices and meal-offering, ye brought near unto me, in the desert, for forty years O house of Israel;²⁶ But ye carried the tent of your king-idol, and your Saturn-images, - the star of your gods, which ye made for yourselves:²⁷ Therefore will I carry you into exile beyond Damascus, - saith Yahweh, God of hosts, is his name.