GOD'S WORD Translation GW
New King James Version NKJV
1 Listen to this message, this funeral song that I sing about you, nation of Israel:
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Hear this word which I take up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 The people of Israel have fallen, never to rise again. They lie abandoned in their own land. There is no one to help them.
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The virgin of Israel has fallen; She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; There is no one to raise her up.
3 This is what the Almighty LORD says: The city that sends 1,000 troops off to war will have [only] 100 left. The one that sends 100 troops off to war will have [only] 10 left for the nation of Israel.
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For thus says the Lord God: "The city that goes out by a thousand Shall have a hundred left, And that which goes out by a hundred Shall have ten left to the house of Israel."
4 This is what the LORD says to the nation of Israel: Search for me and live!
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For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live;
5 But don't search [for me] at Bethel. Don't go to Gilgal. Don't travel to Beersheba. Gilgal will certainly go into exile. Bethel will come to nothing.
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But do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing.
6 Search for the LORD and live! If you don't, he will spread like a fire through the house of Joseph and burn it down. Bethel will have no one to put it out.
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Seek the Lord and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel--
7 You, Israel, turn justice into poison and throw righteousness on the ground.
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You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!"
8 God made the [constellations] Pleiades and Orion. He turns deep darkness into dawn. He turns day into night. He calls for water from the sea to pour it over the face of the earth. His name is the LORD.
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He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.
9 He destroys strongholds and ruins fortresses.
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He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.
10 Israel, you hate anyone who speaks out against injustice. You are disgusted by anyone who speaks the truth.
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They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
11 You trample on the poor and take their wheat from them for taxes. That is why you build houses from hand-cut stones, but you will not live in them. You plant beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink their wine.
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Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them.
12 I know that your crimes are numerous and your sins are many. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes. You deny the needy access to the courts.
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For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.
13 That is why a wise person remains silent at such times, because those times are so evil.
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Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.
14 Search for good instead of evil so that you may live. Then the LORD God of Armies will be with you, as you have said.
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Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.
15 Hate evil and love good. Then you will be able to have justice in your courts. Maybe the LORD God of Armies will have pity on the faithful few of Joseph.
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Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16 This is what the LORD, the Almighty God of Armies, says: There will be loud crying in every city square, and people will say in every street, "Oh, no!" They will call on farmers to mourn and on professional mourners to cry loudly.
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Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this: "There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, 'Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmer to mourning, And skillful lamenters to wailing.
17 There will be loud crying in every vineyard, because I will pass through your land [with death]. The LORD has said this.
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In all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you," Says the Lord.
18 How horrible it will be for those who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for that day? The day of the LORD is one of darkness and not light.
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Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.
19 It is like a person who flees from a lion only to be attacked by a bear. It is like a person who goes home and puts his hand on the wall only to be bitten by a snake.
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It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!
20 The day of the LORD brings darkness and not light. It is pitch black, with no light.
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Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?
21 I hate your festivals; I despise them. I'm not pleased with your religious assemblies.
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"I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I won't accept them. I won't even look at the fellowship offerings of your choicest animals.
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Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Spare me the sound of your songs. I won't listen to the music of your harps.
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Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But let justice flow like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
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But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
25 Did you bring me sacrifices and grain offerings in the desert for 40 years, nation of Israel?
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"Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26 You carried along the statues of [the god] Sikkuth as your king and the star Kiyyun, the gods you made for yourselves.
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You also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves.
27 I will send you into exile beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is the God of Armies.
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Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus," Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.