Wycliffe WYC
New International Reader's Version NIRV
1 Hear ye this word, for I raise on you a wailing. [Hear ye, house of Israel, this word, that I raise on you a wailing.]
1
People of Israel, listen to the LORD's message. Hear my song of sadness about you. I say,
2 The house of Israel fell down, he shall not put to, that it rise again; the virgin of Israel is cast down into her land, none is that shall raise her (up). [The maiden of Israel fell down, she shall not put to, that she rise again; she is cast down into her earth (she is cast down onto the ground), there is not that shall raise her (up again).]
2
"The people of Israel have fallen. They will never get up again. They are deserted in their own land. No one can lift them up."
3 For the Lord God saith these things, The city of which a thousand went out, an hundred shall be left therein; and of which an hundred went out, ten shall be left therein, in the house of Israel.
3
The LORD and King says, "A thousand soldiers will march out from a city in Israel. But only a hundred will return. A hundred soldiers will march out from a town. But only ten will come back."
4 For the Lord saith these things to the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;
4
The LORD speaks to the people of Israel. He says, "Look to me and live.
5 and do not ye seek (out) Bethel, and do not ye enter into Gilgal, and ye shall not pass to Beersheba; for why Gilgal shall be led (away) captive, and Bethel shall be unprofitable. (and do not ye go to Bethel, and do not ye enter into Gilgal, and ye shall not go on to Beersheba; because Gilgal shall be led away captive, and Bethel shall come to nothing.)
5
Do not look to Bethel. Do not go to Gilgal. Do not travel to Beersheba. The people of Gilgal will be taken away as prisoners. Nothing will be left of Bethel."
6 Seek ye the Lord, and live ye, lest peradventure the house of Joseph be burnt as fire; and it shall devour Bethel, and there shall none be, that shall quench. (Seek ye the Lord, and live ye, lest perhaps the house of Joseph shall burn like fire; and it shall devour Bethel, and there shall be no one, who shall quench it.)
6
Israel, look to the LORD and live. If you don't, he will sweep through the people of Joseph like a fire. It will burn everything up. And Bethel won't have anyone to put it out.
7 Which convert doom into wormwood, and forsake rightwiseness in the land, (Ye who change justice, or judgement, into wormwood, and desert righteousness in all the land,)
7
You turn what is fair into something bitter. What is right you throw down to the ground.
8 and forsake him that maketh Arcturus and Orion, and him that turneth (the) darknesses into the morrowtide, and him that changeth day into night; which calleth waters of the sea, and poureth out them on the face of [the] earth; the Lord is name of him. (and desert him who maketh Arcturus, or the Pleiades, and Orion, and him who turneth the darkness into the morning, and him who changeth the day into the night; he who calleth to the waters of the sea, and poureth them out onto the face of the earth; the Lord is his name.)
8
The LORD made the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into sunrise. He makes the day fade into night. He sends for the waters in the clouds. Then he pours them out on the surface of the land. His name is The Lord.
9 Which scorneth destroying on the strong, and bringeth robbing on the mighty. (Who bringeth destruction and destitution, to the strong and the mighty.)
9
He destroys places of safety. He tears down cities that have high walls around them.
10 They hated a man reproving in the gate, and they loathed a man speaking perfectly. (They hated the man who rebuked them in the court, and they loathed the man who spoke truthfully.)
10
Israel, you hate those who do what is right in court. You can't stand those who tell the truth.
11 Therefore for that that ye robbed a poor man, and took from him the chosen prey, ye shall build houses with square stone, and ye shall not dwell in them; ye shall plant most loved vineyards, and ye shall not drink the wine of them. (And so for ye robbed the poor, and took away the chosen prey from them, ye shall build houses with square stones, but ye shall not live in them; ye shall plant the most beautiful vineyards, but ye shall not drink their wine.)
11
You walk all over poor people. You make them give you grain. You have built stone houses. But you won't live in them. You have planted fruitful vineyards. But you won't drink the wine they produce.
12 For I knew your great trespasses many, and your strong sins; enemies of the rightwise man, taking a gift, and bearing down poor men in the gate. (For I know of your great many trespasses, and of your strong, or your mighty, sins; ye, the enemies of the righteous, taking bribes, and oppressing the poor in the courts.)
12
I know how many crimes you have committed. You have sinned far too much. You crush those who do what is right. You accept money from people who want special favors. You take away the rights of poor people in the courts.
13 Therefore a prudent man shall be still in that time, for the time is evil. (And so the prudent shall be silent at that time, for the time is evil.)
13
So those who are wise keep quiet in times like these. That's because the times are evil.
14 Seek ye good, and not evil, (so) that ye live, and the Lord God of hosts shall be with you, as ye said (that he is).
14
Look to what is good, not to what is evil. Then you will live. And the LORD God who rules over all will be with you, just as you say he is.
15 Hate ye evil, and love ye good, and ordain ye in the gate doom (and ordain ye justice in the court); if peradventure the Lord God of hosts have mercy on the remnants of Joseph.
15
Hate what is evil. Love what is good. Do what is fair in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God who rules over all will show you his favor. After all, you are the only ones left in the family line of Joseph.
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts, having lordship (And so the Lord God of hosts, who ruleth, or who is sovereign), saith these things, Wailing shall be in all streets, and in all things that be withoutforth it shall be said, Woe! Woe! and they shall call an earth-tiller to mourning, and them that know how to wail, to wailing.
16
The LORD God rules over all. The Lord says, "People will sob in all of the streets. They will be very sad in every market place. Even farmers will be told to cry loudly. People will sob over the dead.
17 And wailing shall be in all ways, for I shall pass forth in the middle of thee, saith the Lord. (And there shall be wailing on all the ways, for I shall pass through in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.)
17
Workers will cry in all of the vineyards. That is because I will punish you," says the Lord.
18 Woe to them that desire the day of the Lord; whether to desire ye it to you? This day of the Lord shall be darknesses, and not light. (Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord; do ye desire it for yourselves?/do ye desire that it come to you? This day of the Lord shall be darkness, and not light.)
18
How terrible it will be for you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you want it to come? That day will be dark, not light.
19 As if a man run from the face of a lion, and a bear run to him; and he enter into the house, and lean with his hand on the wall, and a serpent dwelling in (the) shadow bite him.
19
It will be like a man running away from a lion only to meet a bear. He enters his house and rests his hand on a wall only to be bitten by a snake.
20 Whether the day of the Lord shall not be darknesses, and not light; and mist, and not shining therein? (Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light; and cloud, or fog, and not sunshine, or brightness.)
20
The day of the LORD will be dark, not light. It will be very black. There won't be a ray of sunlight anywhere.
21 I hated and casted away your feast days, and I shall not take the odour of your companies. (I hated and threw away your feast days, and I shall not receive the aroma from your offerings.)
21
The LORD says, "I hate your holy feasts. I can't stand them. I hate it when you gather together.
22 That if ye offer to me your burnt sacrifices, and gifts, I shall not receive, and I shall not behold the avows of your fat things. (And if ye offer me your burnt sacrifices, and gifts, I shall not receive them, and I shall not look upon the fat beasts of your vows, or of your offerings.)
22
You bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings. But I will not accept them. You bring your best friendship offerings. But I will not even look at them.
23 Do thou away from me the noise of thy songs, and I shall not hear the songs of thine harp.
23
Take the noise of your songs away! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 And doom shall be showed as water, and rightwiseness as a strong stream. (Let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like a strong stream.)
24
I want you to treat others fairly. So let fair treatment roll on just as a river does! Always do what is right. Let right living flow along like a stream that never runs dry!
25 Whether ye offered to me hosts, and sacrifices in desert forty years, ye house of Israel? (Did ye offer me gifts, and sacrifices, for forty years in the wilderness, ye house of Israel?)
25
"People of Israel, did you bring me sacrifices and offerings for 40 years in the desert?
26 And ye have borne tabernacles to Moloch, your god, and (the) image of your idols, the star of your god, which ye made to you. (No! but now ye carry about the tent, or the shrine, of your god Moloch, and your images of Chiun, the star of your god/your star god, which ye made for yourselves.)
26
Yes. But you have honored the place where your king worshiped other gods. You have carried the stands the statues of your gods were on. You have lifted up the banners of the stars you worship as gods. You made all of those things for yourselves.
27 And I shall make you for to pass over Damascus, said the Lord; God of hosts is the name of him. (And so I shall make you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord; the God of hosts is his name.)
27
So I will send you away as prisoners beyond Damascus," says the Lord. His name is God Who Rules Over All.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.