1A lamentation for Israel. 4An exhortation to repentance. 21God rejecteth their hypocritical service.
1HEAR aye this word which I take up against you, even a blamentation, O house of Israel.
a ch. 3.1; 4.1. v.16. Eze. 19.1; 27.2. b Je. 9.17. Eze. 2.10; 19.2,14; 27.2.
2The cvirgin of Israel dis fallen; eshe shall no more rise: fshe is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.
c La. 2.13. Is. 23.12; 37.22; 47.1. Je. 18.13. 2Co. 11.2. d 2Ki. 15.29; 17.6. e Ho. 1.6; 3.4,5. f Eze. 16.5; 23.9,10. Mi. 1.5-9. ch. 7.11. Is. 10.4; 33.23. Le. 26.30-39.
3For thus saith the Lord GOD; gThe city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
g Le. 26.22. De. 28.62. Is. 10.22; 1.9.
4¶For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, hSeek ye me, and ye shall live:
h v.6.14. Is. 55.6,7. De. 30.8,10,15-20. Je. 29.12,13. Ps. 50.15. Mat. 7.7.
5But iseek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to jBeer-sheba: for kGilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought.
i ch. 4.4; 8.14,12. 2Co. 6.16. Ho. 4.15; 9.15; 10.8,15; 12.11. Ge. 21.33; 22.19. j 2Ki. 23.8. k v.26,27. ch. 7.9; 9.8. Le. 26.30-32. Ho. 10.14,15; 13.2. Mi. 1.6,7.
6lSeek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like mfire in the house of Joseph, and devour it , and there be nnone to quench it in Beth-el.
l Mat. 7.7. Je. 29.12,13. La. 3.25. Is. 55.6,7. Eze. 33.11. Ps. 50.15; 91.15. m ch. 1.4,7,10,12,14. De. 32.22. ch. 6.6. Eze. 37.19. n Ho. 8.5,6; 10.5,6,14,15. Mi. 1.7.
7Ye who oturn judgment to *wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
*wormwood-bitter, oil-yielding plant.
o ch. 6.12. Ho. 10.4. Is. 10.1; 5.7; 1.23; 59.13,14. 1Sa. 8.3. Ps. 58.1,2. v.11,12. Hab. 1.2-4.
8Seek him that maketh the pseven stars and Orion, and qturneth the shadow of death into the morning, and rmaketh the day dark with night: that scalleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:
p Job 9.9; 38.31. q Ps. 74.16. ch. 4.13. Job 24.17. r ch. 8.9. s ch. 9.6. 1Ki. 18.44. Job 38.34.
9That tstrengtheneth the 1spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.
1Heb. spoil.
t 2Ki. 13.17,25. Je. 37.10. He. 11.34.
10They uhate him that rebuketh vin the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
u Is. 29.21. Pr. 9.7,8; 12.1; 13.1. 1Ki. 22.8. Ps. 37.12,14. Mi. 3.2. Re. 11.10. v Job 5.4. Ps. 127.5. v.12,15.
11*Forasmuch therefore as your wtreading is upon the poor, and ye take from him 2burdens of wheat: xye have built houses of *hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted 3pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.
*Forasmuch-because, since.
2Or, gifts. Je. 40.5. Eze. 34.4. 1Sa. 8.3. Is. 1.23.
*hewn-shaped by cutting or chopping.
3Heb. vineyards of desire.
w ch. 4.1. Mi. 2.2; 3.2,3. Is. 59.13,14; 5.7,8; 1.23. x Zep. 1.13. Mi. 6.15. De. 28.30,38,39. Hag. 1.6.
12For yI know your zmanifold transgressions and your mighty sins: athey afflict the just, they btake 4a bribe, and cthey turn aside the poor din the gate from their right.
4Or, a ransom.
y Ps. 50.21. Pr. 17.15. z Is. 47.9. Ge. 13.13. 2Ki. 17.7-17. a v.10. Ja. 5.6. Is. 59.15. 2Ch. 36.15,16. Mi. 3.2. b Ps. 26.9,10. Is. 1.23. Mi. 3.11; 7.3. v.11. c v.7,11. Is. 1.23; 10.2; 29.21. La. 3.33,35. Mal. 3.5. ch. 2.6,7. d v.10. Ru. 4.1. De. 21.19; 16.18. Pr. 22.22.
13Therefore the prudent eshall keep silence in that time; for it is an fevil time.
e ch. 6.10. Ho. 4.4,17. Mat. 7.6. Ep. 5.15. Mi. 7.6,7. f Mi. 2.3. 2Ti. 3.1.
14gSeek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be hwith you, ias ye have spoken.
g Is. 55.2. Mat. 6.33; 7.7,13,14. Mi. 6.8. De. 4-12. h ch. 3.3. Mi. 3.4. Is. 43.2; 41.10,13. i Mi. 3.11.
15jHate the evil, and love the good, and kestablish judgment in the gate: lit may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the mremnant of Joseph.
j Ps. 34.14; 97.10; 119.104; 15.4. Ro. 12.2,9; 7.22. k v.10. Ps. 82.2-4. 2Ch. 19.6,7,9. l Joel 2.14. Is. 55.6,7. Ex. 32.30. 2Ki. 19.4. m 2Ki. 13.3,7; 14.26,27; 15.19,29. Zep. 2.7.
16Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; nWailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the *husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
*husbandman-one who works on the land.
n Is. 22.4. Mi. 1.8; 2.4. Je. 9.1,10,17-20. Joel 1.8,11,13. Is. 15.3-5,8.
17And oin all vineyards shall be wailing: for pI will pass through thee, saith the LORD.
o Is. 16.10. Je. 25.31; 48.33. p Ex. 12.12. Na. 1.12,15.
18Woe unto you that qdesire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? rthe day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
q Is. 5.19. Je. 17.15. 2Pe. 3.4. Eze. 12.22,27. Ps. 95.9. Joel 2.1,11; 3.14. r Je. 30.7; 17.15. Is. 5.19. Joel 2.2; 1.15. Zep. 1.14,15. v.20. 1Pe. 4.18. 2Pe. 3.4.
19sAs if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
s Is. 24.17,18. Je. 48.44; 15.3,4. ch. 9.1.
20Shall not the day of the LORD be tdarkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
t Ps. 75.8. Na. 1.8,9. Zep. 1.14-18. Is. 13.10. Re. 6.17. Eze. 7.2-4; 5.11-17; 34.12.
21¶uI hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not 5smell in your solemn assemblies.
5Or, smell your holy days. Ge. 8.21. Le. 26.31.
u Is. 1.11-15. Je. 6.20; 7.21-23. Ho. 6.6; 8.13. Is. 66.3. Pr. 15.8; 21.27; 28.9. Mal. 1.10.
22Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, vI will not accept them : neither will I regard the 6peace offerings of your fat beasts.
6Or, thank offerings. Le. 3.1,6.
v Ho. 8.13.
23Take thou away from me wthe noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy *viols.
*viols-lyres, stringed instruments.
w ch. 8.3; 6.5.
24But xlet judgment 7run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
7Heb. roll.
x v.14,15. Mi. 6.8. Job 23.11; 29.12-17. Ps. 82.2-4. De. 16.18-20.
25yHave ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
y De. 32.17-19. Eze. 20.8,16,24. Ac. 7.42,43. Is. 43.23. Zec. 7.5. Ho. 10.1; 9.9,10. Mat. 23.23,25.
26But zye have borne the *tabernacle of 8your Moloch and Chiun your images, athe star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
*tabernacle-tent, dwelling.
8Or, Siccuth your king.
z Eze. 16.15,16; 20.7,16; 23.3,8. Le. 17.3; 18.3; 20.2-5. 1Ki. 11.7,33. a 2Ki. 23.10,11. 2Ch. 34.4.
27bTherefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is cThe God of hosts.
b Ac. 7.43. 2Ki. 15.29; 17.6-17. c v.14.