Seek the Lord and Live
Hear this word that I atake up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 “Fallen, no more to rise,
is athe virgin Israel;
forsaken on her land,
with none to raise her up.”
3 For 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.”
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
a“Seek me and live;
5 but do not seek aBethel,
and do not enter into aGilgal
or cross over to bBeersheba;
for aGilgal shall surely go into exile,
and aBethel shall come to nothing.”
6 aSeek the Lord and live,
blest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for cBethel,
7 O ayou who turn justice to wormwood
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8 He who made the aPleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and bdarkens the day into night,
who ccalls for the waters of the sea
cand pours them out on the surface of the earth,
dthe Lord is his name;
9 awho makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 aThey hate him who reproves bin the gate,
and they cabhor him who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore because you atrample on the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
byou have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
byou 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 atake a bribe,
and bturn aside the needy cin the gate.
13 Therefore he who is prudent will akeep silent in such a time,
bfor it is an evil time.
14 aSeek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, bthe God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.
15 aHate evil, and love good,
and establish justice bin the gate;
cit may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says the Lord, athe God of hosts, the Lord:
“In all the squares bthere shall be wailing,
and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
and bto wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
for aI will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.
Let Justice Roll Down
18 Woe to you who desire athe day of the Lord!
Why would you have the day of the Lord?
bIt is darkness, and not light,
19 aas 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 aIs not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 a“I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 aEven 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 athe melody of your harps I will not listen.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever‑flowing stream.
25 a“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 aYou bshall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 aand I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is bthe God of hosts.