6
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 who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!"
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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.
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He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.
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They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
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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.
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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.
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Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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In all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you," Says the Lord.
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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.
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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!
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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?
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"I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
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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.
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Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
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But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
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"Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
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You also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves.
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Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus," Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.