|
|
| [1]Strengthen yourselves, sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem, And in Tekoa blow ye a trumpet, And over Beth-Haccerem lift ye up a flame, For evil hath been seen from the north, And great destruction. |
[1]O ye children of Benjamin, prepare to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa: set up a standard upon Beth-haccerem: for a plague appeareth out of the north and great destruction. |
| [2]The comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion. |
[2]I have compared the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and dainty woman. |
| [3]Unto her come do shepherds and their droves, They have stricken tents by her round about, They have fed each [in] his own station. |
[3]The pastors with their flocks shall come unto her: they shall pitch their tents round about by her, and every one shall feed in his place. |
| [4]Sanctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening, |
[4]Prepare war against her: arise, and let us go up toward the south: woe unto us: for the day declineth, and the shadows of the evening are stretched out. |
| [5]`Rise, and we go up by night, And we destroy her palaces.' |
[5]Arise, and let us go up by night, and destroy her palaces. |
| [6]For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She [is] the city to be inspected, Wholly -- she is oppression in her midst. |
[6]For thus hath the Lord of hosts said, Hew down wood, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this city must be visited: all oppression is in the midst of it. |
| [7]As the digging of a well, is [for] its waters, So she hath digged [for] her wickedness, Violence and spoil is heard in her, Before My face continually [are] sickness and smiting. |
[7]As the fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her malice: cruelty and spoil is continually heard in her before me with sorrow and strokes. |
| [8]Be instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited. |
[8]Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee, lest I make thee desolate as a land, that none inhabiteth. |
| [9]Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They surely glean, as a vine, the remnant of Israel, Put back thy hand, as a gatherer to the baskets. |
[9]Thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall gather as a vine, the residue of Israel: turn back thine hand as the grape gatherer into the baskets. |
| [10]To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear [is] uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it. |
[10]Unto whom shall I speak, and admonish that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them as a reproach: they have no delight in it. |
| [11]And with the fury of Jehovah I have been filled, (I have been weary of containing,) To pour [it] on the suckling in the street, And on the assembly of youths together, For even husband with wife are captured, An elder with one full of days, |
[11]Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord: I am weary with holding it: I will pour it out upon the children in the street, and likewise upon the assembly of the young men: for the husband shall even be taken with the wife, and the aged with him that is full of days. |
| [12]And their houses have been turned to others, Fields and wives together, For I stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah. |
[12]And their houses with their lands, and wives also shall be turned unto strangers: for I will stretch out mine hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord. |
| [13]For from their least unto their greatest, Every one is gaining dishonest gain, And from prophet even unto priest, Every one is dealing falsely, |
[13]For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, every one is given unto covetousness, and from the prophet even unto the priest, they all deal falsely. |
| [14]And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, `Peace, peace!' and there is no peace. |
[14]They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people with sweet words, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. |
| [15]They were ashamed when they did abomination! Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Yea, blushing they have not known, Therefore they do fall among those falling, In the time I have inspected them, They stumble, said Jehovah. |
[15]Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not ashamed, no neither could they have any shame: therefore they shall fall among the slain: when I shall visit them, they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. |
| [16]Thus said Jehovah: Stand ye by the ways and see, and ask for paths of old, Where [is] this -- the good way? and go ye in it, And find rest for yourselves. And they say, `We do not go.' |
[16]Thus saith the Lord, Stand in the ways and behold, and ask for the old way, which is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will not walk therein. |
| [17]And I have raised up for you watchmen, Attend ye to the voice of the trumpet. And they say, `We do not attend.' |
[17]Also I set watchmen over you, which said, Take heed to the sound of the trumpet: but they said, We will not take heed. |
| [18]Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O company, That which [is] upon them. |
[18]Hear therefore, ye Gentiles, and thou congregation know, what is among them. |
| [19]Hear, O earth, lo, I am bringing evil on this people, The fruit of their devices, For to My words they gave no attention, And My law -- they kick against it. |
[19]Hear, O earth, behold, I will cause a plague to come upon this people, even the fruit of their own imaginations: because they have not taken heed unto my words, nor to my law, but cast it off. |
| [20]Why [is] this to Me? frankincense from Sheba cometh, And the sweet cane from a land afar off, Your burnt-offerings [are] not for acceptance, And your sacrifices have not been sweet to Me. |
[20]To what purpose bringest thou me incense from Sheba, and sweet calamus from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not pleasant, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. |
| [21]Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I do give to this people stumbling blocks, And stumbled against them have fathers and sons together, The neighbour and his friend do perish. |
[21]Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them: the neighbor and his friend shall perish. |
| [22]Thus said Jehovah: Lo, a people hath come from a north country, And a great nation is stirred up from the sides of the earth. |
[22]Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall arise from the sides of the earth. |
| [23]Bow and javelin they take hold of, Fierce it [is], and they have no mercy, Their voice as a sea doth sound, And on horses they ride, set in array as a man of war, Against thee, O daughter of Zion. |
[23]With bow and shield shall they be weaponed: they are cruel and will have no compassion: their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses, well appointed, like men of war against thee, O daughter Zion. |
| [24]`We have heard its sound, feeble have been our hands, Distress hath seized us, pain as of a travailing woman. |
[24]We have heard their fame , and our hands wax feeble sorrow is come upon us, as the sorrow of a woman in travail. |
| [25]Go not forth to the field, And in the way walk not, For a sword hath the enemy, fear [is] round about. |
[25]Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way: for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side. |
| [26]O daughter of My people, Gird on sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes, The mourning of an only one make for thee, A lamentation most bitter, For suddenly come doth the spoiler against us. |
[26]O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in the ashes: make lamentation, and bitter mourning as for thine only son: for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us. |
| [27]A watch-tower I have given thee, Among My people a fortress, And thou knowest, and hast tried their way. |
[27]I have set thee for a defense and fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their ways. |
| [28]All of them are turned aside by apostates, Walking slanderously -- brass and iron, All of them are corrupters. |
[28]They are all rebellious traitors, walking craftily: they are brass, and iron, they all are destroyers. |
| [29]The bellows have been burnt, By fire hath the lead been consumed, In vain hath a refiner refined, And the wicked have not been drawn away. |
[29]The bellows are burned: the lead is consumed in the fire: the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not taken away. |
| [30]`Silver rejected,' they have called to them, For Jehovah hath kicked against them! |
[30]They shall call them reprobate silver, because the Lord hath rejected them. |