A Call to Repentance
1 Listen, people of Israel, to this funeral song which I sing over you:
2 Virgin Israel has fallen,
Never to rise again!
She lies abandoned on the ground,
And no one helps her up.
3 The Sovereign Lord says, “A city in Israel sends out a thousand soldiers, but only a hundred return; another city sends out a hundred, but only ten come back.”
4 The Lord says to the people of Israel, “Come to me, and you will live. 5 Do not go to Beersheba to worship. Do not try to find me at Bethel—Bethel will come to nothing. Do not go to Gilgal—her people are doomed to exile.”
6 Go to the Lord, and you will live. If you do not go, he will sweep down like fire on the people of Israel. The fire will burn up the people of Bethel, and no one will be able to put it out. 7 You are doomed, you that twist justice and cheat people out of their rights!
8 The Lord made the stars,
the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into daylight
and day into night.
He calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the earth.
His name is the Lord.
9 He brings destruction on the mighty and their strongholds.
10 You people hate anyone who challenges injustice and speaks the whole truth in court. 11 You have oppressed the poor and robbed them of their grain. And so you will not live in the fine stone houses you build or drink wine from the beautiful vineyards you plant. 12 I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good people, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts. 13 And so, keeping quiet in such evil times is the smart thing to do!
14 Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is. 15 Hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts. Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to the people of this nation who are still left alive.
16 And so the Sovereign Lord Almighty says, “There will be wailing and cries of sorrow in the city streets. Even farmers will be called to mourn the dead along with those who are paid to mourn. 17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards. All this will take place because I am coming to punish you.” The Lord has spoken.
18 How terrible it will be for you who long for the day of the Lord! What good will that day do you? For you it will be a day of darkness and not of light. 19 It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear! Or like someone who comes home and puts his hand on the wall—only to be bitten by a snake! 20 The day of the Lord will bring darkness and not light; it will be a day of gloom, without any brightness.
21 The Lord says, “I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! 22 When you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. 23 Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. 24 Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.
25 “People of Israel, I did not demand sacrifices and offerings during those forty years that I led you through the desert. 26 But now, because you have worshiped images of Sakkuth, your king god, and of Kaiwan, your star god, you will have to carry those images 27 when I take you into exile in a land beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is Almighty God.
Raudu dziesma par Israēla grēkiem
1 Klausies šos vārdus, ko žēlabās es par jums saku, Israēla nams!
2 Kritusi, vairs necelsies, Israēla jaunava,
nomesta uz zemes, nav neviena, kas pieceļ!
3 Jo tā saka Kungs Dievs:
“Pilsētā, no kuras izgāja tūkstotis, paliks simts,
un, no kuras izgāja simts, tur paliks desmit –
tā būs Israēla namam!”
4 Jo tā saka Kungs Israēla namam:
“Meklējiet mani, un jūs paliksiet dzīvi!
5 Nemeklējiet Bēteli un uz Gilgālu neejiet,
un uz Bēršebu nedodieties,
jo Gilgāla ietin aizies trimdā,
un tā būs Bēteles vaina!
6 Meklējiet Kungu, un jūs paliksiet dzīvi,
ka Jāzepa nams neuzliesmo ugunī,
kas aprīs Bēteli, ka nevienam nenodzēst!
7 Jūs, kas tiesu par vērmelēm pārvēršat
un taisnību putekļos ieminat!”
8 Viņš Sietiņu un Muļķi darinājis,
viņš krēslu par rītu pārvērš
un dienu par nakti aptumšo,
viņš jūras ūdeņiem uzsauc
un izlej tos pār zemes vaigu –
Kungs ir viņa vārds!
9 Viņš liek atmirdzēt sagrāvei pār varenajiem,
un sagrāve nāk pār nocietinājumiem!
10 Vārtos sēdošie nīst taisnprātīgo,
un tiem riebj tie, kas runā taisnību!
11 Tādēļ ka jūs apspiežat nabagus
un no tiem ņemat labības nodevas –
kaut tēstus namus jūs uzcēlāt, jūs tajos nedzīvosiet,
kaut tīkamus vīnadārzus stādījāt,
vīnu no tiem nedzersiet!
12 Jo es zinu, ka pulka jums grēku
un stipri ir jūsu pārkāpumi –
jūs taisnīgo naidnieki, kukuļņēmēji,
kas nabagus krāpjat!
13 Tādēļ gudrais šai laikā klusē,
jo šis ir ļauns laiks.
14 Meklējiet labu, ne ļaunu,
ka jūs paliekat dzīvi,
tad Kungs, Pulku Dievs, būs ar jums,
kā jūs sakāt to esam.
15 Nīstiet ļaunu un mīliet labu,
lai pie vārtiem uztur tiesu –
varbūt tad Kungs, Pulku Dievs,
apžēlos Jāzepa atlikumu!
16 Tādēļ tā saka Kungs,
Pulku Dievs, mans Kungs:
“Visos laukumos sēros,
visās ielās teiks: vai! vai!
Tad zemniekus sauks uz sērām
un uz gaudošanu tos, kas pieprot vaimanāt!
17 Visos vīnadārzos būs sēras, jo es iešu cauri,”
saka Kungs.
Kunga diena ir tumsas diena
18 Vai! tiem, kas kāro pēc Kunga dienas!
Kādēļ jums Kunga diena –
tā ir tumsa, ne gaisma!
19 Kā tam, kas glābjas no lauvas un uzskrien lācim
vai ieiet mājā, atspiež roku pret sienu, un iekož čūska!
20 Vai ne tumsa ir Kunga diena,
ne gaisma! –
tur krēsla, ne gaismas stara!
21 “Es nīstu un nicinu jūsu svētkus,
man jūsu sapulču smarža riebj!
22 Kaut jūs man dedzināmos upurus pienesat,
jūsu labības dāvanas es negribu,
uz jūsu treknajiem miera upuriem es nelūkošos!
23 Prom no manis jūsu dziesmu troksni,
un jūsu stīgu skaņās es neklausīšos!
24 Lai rit kā ūdeņi tiesa
un taisnība kā mūžīgs strauts!
25 Upurus un labības dāvanas
jūs man tuksnesī pienesāt četrdesmit gadus,
Israēla nams!
26 Bet tagad ieceļat sev par ķēniņu
Sikūtu un Kijūnu – savus dievekļus! –
dievus, ko paši sev taisījuši!
27 Tādēļ es jūs aizvedīšu trimdā viņpus Damaskas!”
saka Kungs, Pulku Dievs ir viņa vārds.
