A Lamentation against Israel 1 ULT Hear this word that I am lifting up over you, a lamentation, house of Israel: BSB BSB: Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lamentation I take up against you:
2 ULT She has fallen; she will not repeat to rise, the virgin Israel. She is forsaken on her land; there is no one raising her up. BSB BSB: “Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her up.”
3 ULT For thus says the Lord Yahweh,“The city going out a thousand will leave a hundred remaining, and the one going out a hundred will leave ten remaining for the house of Israel.” BSB BSB: This is what the Lord GOD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong will have but a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”
A Call to Repentance (Joel 1:13–20; Zephaniah 2:1–3; Luke 13:1–5)
4 ULT For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel,“Seek me and live, BSB BSB: For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live!
5 ULT and do not seek Bethel, and do not go to Gilgal, and do not cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal, going into exile, will go into exile, and Bethel will become iniquity.” BSB BSB: Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 ULT Seek Yahweh and live, lest he break out like fire{ in} the house of Joseph, and it consumes, and there is no extinguisher for Bethel, BSB BSB: Seek the LORD and live, or He will sweep like fire through the house of Joseph; it will devour everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
7 ULT the{ ones} turning justice into wormwood, and they cast righteousness to the ground! BSB BSB: There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.
8 ULT The maker of the Pleiades and Orion, turning deep darkness into morning; he darkens day into night; calling for the waters of the sea, he pours them out on the face of the earth— Yahweh is his name— BSB BSB: He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth—the LORD is His name—
9 ULT the one making destruction flash against the strong, and destruction comes against the fortress. BSB BSB: He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the stronghold.
10 ULT They hate the reprover in the gate, and they abhor the one speaking blamelessly. BSB BSB: There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.
11 ULT Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor and you take a tax of grain from him: you have built houses of hewn stone, but you will not dwell in them; you have planted vineyards of desire, but you will not drink their wine. BSB BSB: Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.
12 ULT For I know your transgressions{ are} many, and your sins{ are} mighty— oppressors of the righteous, takers of a bribe, and they turn aside the needy in the gate. BSB BSB: For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
13 ULT Therefore the prudent will be still in that time, for it{ is} an evil time. BSB BSB: Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.
14 ULT Seek good, and not evil, so that you may live; and thus may Yahweh, God of Armies, be with you, just as you have said. BSB BSB: Seek good, not evil, so that you may live. And the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.
15 ULT Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; perhaps Yahweh, God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. BSB BSB: Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
Woe to Rebellious Israel (Acts 7:39–43)
16 ULT Therefore thus says Yahweh, God of Armies, the Lord,“In all plazas{ there will be} wailing, and in all streets they will say,‘Alas! Alas!’ And they will call the farmer to mourning, and wailing to those knowing a lament. BSB BSB: Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail.
17 ULT And in all the vineyards{ there will be} wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says Yahweh. BSB BSB: There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.
18 ULT Woe to the ones desiring the day of Yahweh! What{ is} this to you, the day of Yahweh? It{ is} darkness and not light. BSB BSB: Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
19 ULT As when a man flees from the face of the lion, and the bear meets him; or goes into the house and rests his hand on the wall, and the snake bites him. BSB BSB: It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.
20 ULT { Is} not the day of Yahweh darkness, and not light? Even gloom, with no brightness in it? BSB BSB: Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 ULT “I hate, I reject your feasts, and I will not smell in your assemblies. BSB BSB: “I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
22 ULT For if you offer up to me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept{ them}; and the peace offering of your fattened animals, I will not look at. BSB BSB: Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard.
23 ULT Remove from me the noise of your songs; and the music of your harps I will not hear. BSB BSB: Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 ULT But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. BSB BSB: But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 ULT Did you bring near to me sacrifices and a grain offering in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel? BSB BSB: Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
26 ULT But you carried Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your images, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves. BSB BSB: You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you made for yourselves.
27 ULT So I will exile you from farther than Damascus,” says Yahweh, God of Armies{ is} his name. BSB BSB: Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Hosts.