1 Hear this word which I am taking up as a lamentation over you, O house of Israel. 2 “One of the daughters from the congregation of Israel has fallen, no more to rise, abandoned on the land with no one to lift her up.” 3 For thus says the Lord God, “The city from which goes forth a thousand shall have a hundred left in it; and the one from which goes forth a hundred shall have ten left in it to the house of Israel.” 4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, “Seek the fear of me and you shall endure.” 5 Do not seek to go to Bethel and do not go to Gilgal; do not cross over to Beer-sheba, for those who are in Gilgal shall certainly go into exile, and those who worship idols in Bethel shall become nothing.” 6 Seek the fear of the Lord and you shall endure, lest my anger is kindled like a fire against the house of Joseph, and it destroys, with no protection on account of your sins, you who are worshipping idols in Bethel, 7 you who turn justice into poison and have dashed righteousness to the ground. 8 They forgot to fear before him who makes the Pleiades and Orion, and turns darkness into light and darkens day into night; who commanded to assemble armies numerous as the waters of the sea and scatters them upon the face of the earth; the Lord is his name. 9 He who makes the weak prevail against the mighty and grants to the plunderers to rule over their strong cities.⁠a 10 They hate him who admonishes them in court with words of the law, and they lead astray him who speaks what is right. 11 Therefore, because of your robbing the poor and oppressing the needy and taking money of deception from them, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted vineyards, but you shall not drink the wine. 12 For it is revealed to me how numerous are your rebellious acts, and how great is your waywardness. You persecute the innocent in order to gain money by deception and pervert the cause of the needy in your synagogues. 13 Therefore, you teachers, at that time keep silent before the wicked, for it is an evil time. 14 Seek to do good and not to do evil that you may endure, and so the Memra of the Lord God of hosts will be your help, as you have said. 15 Hate to do evil and love to do good, establish justice in your synagogues; perhaps pity will be shown to the remnant of Israel from the Lord God of hosts.” 16 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, “In every square there shall be lamentation and in every street they shall say ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmer to mourning and the lamenter to one skilled in wailing; 17 and in every vineyard there shall be lamentation, when I reveal myself to perform vengeance of judgement in your midst,” says the Lord. 18 Woe to those who desire the day that will come from the Lord. What will the day which will come from the Lord mean to you? It shall be darkness and not light, 19 as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him; or as if he went indoors, leaned his hand on the wall and a snake bit him. 20 Shall not the day that will come from the Lord be darkness and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? 21 I hate, I reject your feasts and I will not accept with pleasure the offering of your assemblies. 22 For if you offer burnt offerings and your gift offerings before me, they will not be pleasing, and your holy sacrifices will not be accepted before me.” 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice be revealed like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. 25 Did you bring holy sacrifices and offerings before me for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You carried Sikkut your statue and Kiyyun your idol, your astral images which you had made for yourselves.⁠b 27 So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord; the God of hosts is his name.