2 The virgin of Israel is fallen she shall no more rise she is forsaken upon her land there is none to raise her up
3 For thus saith the Lord GOD The 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
4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel Seek ye me and ye shall live
5 But seek not Bethel nor enter into Gilgal and pass not to Beersheba for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity and Bethel shall come to nought
6 Seek the LORD and ye shall live lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph and devour it and there be none to quench it in Bethel
7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood and leave off righteousness in the earth
8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night that calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the face of the earth The LORD is his name
9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress
10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly
11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor and ye take from him burdens of wheat ye have built houses of hewn stone but ye shall not dwell in them ye have planted pleasant vineyards but ye shall not drink wine of them
12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins they afflict the just they take a bribe and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right
13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time for it is an evil time
14 Seek good and not evil that ye may live and so the LORD the God of hosts shall be with you as ye have spoken
15 Hate the evil and love the good and establish judgment in the gate it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph
16 Therefore the LORD the God of hosts the Lord saith thus Wailing 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
17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing for I will pass through thee saith the LORD
18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD to what end is it for you the day of the LORD is darkness and not light
19 As 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
20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness and not light even very dark and no brightness in it
21 I hate I despise your feast days and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies
22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings I will not accept them neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts
23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs for I will not hear the melody of thy viols
24 But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream
25 Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years O house of Israel 26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images the star of your god which ye made to yourselves 27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus saith the LORD whose name is The God of hosts
