שִׁמְעוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי נֹשֵׂא עֲלֵיכֶם קִינָה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

Hear this word that I recite as a lamentation for you, house of Israel:

נָפְלָה לֹא־תוֹסִיף קוּם בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל נִטְּשָׁה עַל־אַדְמָתָהּ אֵין מְקִימָהּ

Fallen, the virgin of Israel will rise no longer; she is abandoned upon her land, with no one to lift her.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הָעִיר הַיֹּצֵאת אֶלֶף תַּשְׁאִיר מֵאָה וְהַיּוֹצֵאת מֵאָה תַּשְׁאִיר עֲשָׂרָה לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל

For so said the Lord God: The city from which one thousand go out, which has one thousand residents, will leave one hundred, meaning that only one hundred will remain; and that from which one hundred people go out will leave only ten of the house of Israel.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּרְשׁוּנִי וִחְיוּ

For so said the Lord to the house of Israel: You have only one recourse to save yourselves. Seek Me, and then you will be allowed to live;

וְאַל־תִּדְרְשׁוּ בֵּית־אֵל וְהַגִּלְגָּל לֹא תָבֹאוּ וּבְאֵר שֶׁבַע לֹא תַעֲבֹרוּ כִּי הַגִּלְגָּל גָּלֹה יִגְלֶה וּבֵית אֵל יִהְיֶה לְאָוֶן

do not seek Beit El, do not come to Gilgal, also a place of worship, and do not pass to Beersheba, where apparently idols were also worshipped, as Gilgal will be exiled and Beit El will become nothingness [aven]. The prophets frequently referred to Beit El as Beit Aven, since aven means sin and Beit El was a center of idolatry. In addition, aven can mean naught, an allusion to the destruction and desolation Beit El will ultimately suffer as a punishment for the sins of its inhabitants.

דִּרְשׁוּ אֶת־ה' וִחְיוּ פֶּן־יִצְלַח כָּאֵשׁ בֵּית יוֹסֵף וְאָכְלָה וְאֵין־מְכַבֶּה לְבֵית־אֵל

Seek the Lord and live, lest He burn the house of Joseph with fire; it shall consume, with none to extinguish it for Beit El.

הַהֹפְכִים לְלַעֲנָה מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה לָאָרֶץ הִנִּיחוּ

These catastrophes will befall a people who turn justice into wormwood, a bitter plant, and lay righteousness on the ground. These people are indifferent to righteousness.

עֹשֵׂה כִימָה וּכְסִיל וְהֹפֵךְ לַבֹּקֶר צַלְמָוֶת וְיוֹם לַיְלָה הֶחְשִׁיךְ הַקּוֹרֵא לְמֵי־הַיָּם וַיִּשְׁפְּכֵם עַל־פְּנֵי הָאָרֶץ ה' שְׁמוֹ

He made the constellations of Pleiades and Orion, transforms the shadow of death into morning, and darkens the day into night. He is also the One who calls the waters of the sea and pours them upon the face of the earth, the Lord is His name;

הַמַּבְלִיג שֹׁד עַל־עָז וְשֹׁד עַל־מִבְצָר יָבוֹא

who empowers the lowly, weak, and plundered to triumph over the mighty, and the plundered will come against the fortress. God can overturn the normal course of nature.

שָׂנְאוּ בַשַּׁעַר מוֹכִיחַ וְדֹבֵר תָּמִים יְתָעֵבוּ

Retribution will befall those who will be punished because they hated the admonisher at the gate, the prophet or the elders who sit at the entrance to the city, and they would spurn a speaker of uprightness.

לָכֵן יַעַן בּוֹשַׁסְכֶם עַל־דָּל וּמַשְׂאַת־בַּר תִּקְחוּ מִמֶּנּוּ בָּתֵּי גָזִית בְּנִיתֶם וְלֹא־תֵשְׁבוּ בָם כַּרְמֵי־חֶמֶד נְטַעְתֶּם וְלֹא תִשְׁתּוּ אֶת־יֵינָם

Therefore you will be punished because of your incitement against the impoverished, and because of the portions of grain for which he toiled that you would take from him, you built beautiful houses of hewn stone with the profits of your corrupt actions but you will not merit to live in them; you planted delightful vineyards, but you will not drink their wine.

כִּי יָדַעְתִּי רַבִּים פִּשְׁעֵיכֶם וַעֲצֻמִים חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם צֹרְרֵי צַדִּיק לֹקְחֵי כֹפֶר וְאֶבְיוֹנִים בַּשַּׁעַר הִטּוּ

For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are enormous; you are afflicters of the righteous, you are takers of bribes instead of judging evildoers properly, and you cheated the indigent at the gate, the location of the courts. Your judges are entirely corrupt.

לָכֵן הַמַּשְׂכִּיל בָּעֵת הַהִיא יִדֹּם כִּי עֵת רָעָה הִיא

Therefore, the prudent, who are aware of this corruption and might have rebuked others in a different era, at that time shall be silent to protect themselves, as it is an evil time.

דִּרְשׁוּ־טוֹב וְאַל־רָע לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּ וִיהִי־כֵן ה' אֱלֹהֵי־צְבָאוֹת אִתְּכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר אֲמַרְתֶּם

Seek good and not evil, so that you will live, and the Lord, God of hosts, will indeed be with you, as you said. You claim to believe in God and wish to be loyal to Him. After all, your rulers are from the family of Yehu, who eradicated idolatry from the land, and even those of you who worship the golden calves maintain that they follow God. If so, do what God commands:

שִׂנְאוּ־רָע וְאֶהֱבוּ טוֹב וְהַצִּיגוּ בַשַּׁעַר מִשְׁפָּט אוּלַי יֶחֱנַן ה' אֱלֹהֵי־צְבָאוֹת שְׁאֵרִית יוֹסֵף

Hate evil, love good, and display justice at the gate; perhaps then the Lord, God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת אֲדֹנָי בְּכָל־רְחֹבוֹת מִסְפֵּד וּבְכָל־חוּצוֹת יֹאמְרוּ הוֹ־הוֹ וְקָרְאוּ אִכָּר אֶל־אֵבֶל וּמִסְפֵּד אֶל־יוֹדְעֵי נֶהִי

Therefore, so said the Lord, God of hosts, the Lord: Lamentation will be in all the squares and in all the streets. They will say: Woe, woe, and likewise in the fields as well, they will call the farmer to mourning, and the skilled at wailing to lamentation.

ובְכָל־כְּרָמִים מִסְפֵּד כִּי־אֶעֱבֹר בְּקִרְבְּךָ אָמַר ה'

Even in all vineyards, which are generally joyous places, due to their association with wine, there will be lamentation, as I will pass in your midst to punish you, said the Lord.

הוֹי הַמִּתְאַוִּים אֶת־יוֹם ה' לָמָּה־זֶּה לָכֶם יוֹם ה'! הוּא־חֹשֶׁךְ וְלֹא־אוֹר

In the Kingdom of Israel, some long for the day of the Lord, when the world will be redeemed. The prophet addresses those individuals: Woe! Those who crave the day of the Lord: Why is this for you the day of the Lord? It will come, but it is darkness and not light. It will be a terrifying time of judgment, at least at first.

כַּאֲשֶׁר יָנוּס אִישׁ מִפְּנֵי הָאֲרִי וּפְגָעוֹ הַדֹּב וּבָא הַבַּיִת וְסָמַךְ יָדוֹ עַל־הַקִּיר וּנְשָׁכוֹ הַנָּחָשׁ

Your situation will be as when a man flees from before the lion and a bear encounters him, or he has fled and comes home exhausted, and leans his hand on the wall, and then a serpent hiding in the wall of the house bites him;

הֲלֹא־חֹשֶׁךְ יוֹם ה' וְלֹא־אוֹר וְאָפֵל וְלֹא־נֹגַהּ לוֹ

isn’t the day of the Lord darkness and not light, blackness, and no glimmer in it? This will mainly be a day of painful judgment. Do not expect any salvation or consolation on that day.

שָׂנֵאתִי מָאַסְתִּי חַגֵּיכֶם וְלֹא אָרִיחַ בְּעַצְּרֹתֵיכֶם

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I will not appreciate the aroma of the sacrifices that you offer at your assemblies.

כִּי אִם־תַּעֲלוּ־לִי עֹלוֹת וּמִנְחֹתֵיכֶם לֹא אֶרְצֶה ושֶׁלֶם מְרִיאֵיכֶם לֹא אַבִּיט

For if you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your meal offerings, I will not be propitiated, and the peace offering [shelem] of your fatlings that you bring I will not regard. Alternatively, the final clause means: I will not regard your payments [tashlumim] for your fat beasts.

הָסֵר מֵעָלַי הֲמוֹן שִׁרֶיךָ וְזִמְרַת נְבָלֶיךָ לֹא אֶשְׁמָע

Remove from Me the sound of, or the multitude of, your holy songs, and I will not heed the melody of your lyres. I am uninterested in any songs you might sing to Me.

וְיִגַּל כַּמַּיִם מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה כְּנַחַל אֵיתָן

Rather, let justice instead be revealed like water. Justice will be as clear as spreading water, and righteousness will flow on the ground like a constant stream, whose waters run unceasingly.

הַזְּבָחִים וּמִנְחָה הִגַּשְׁתֶּם־לִי בַמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל!

Did you present Me sacrifices and meal offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? During Israel’s long years in the wilderness, few offerings were brought in the Tabernacle, and God’s relationship with the people did not depend upon them. Consequently, says God, on what do you base your assumption that your offerings rectify and atone for all your sins? The idols you have worshipped will not help you either, as they will suffer the same fate as you.

וּנְשָׂאתֶם אֵת סִכּוּת מַלְכְּכֶם וְאֵת כִּיּוּן צַלְמֵיכֶם כּוֹכַב אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם לָכֶם

But you would carry Sikut, your king, and Kiyun,your image, and also Kokhav is your god; these are names of gods that you made for yourselves.

וְהִגְלֵתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵהָלְאָה לְדַמָּשֶׂק אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי־צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ

Therefore I will exile you together with your idols to the north, beyond Damascus, said the Lord, God of hosts is His name.