He hath told thee, O son of earth, what is good, - what then is, Yahweh, seeking of thee, but, to do justice, to delight in lovingkindness, and humbly to walk with thy God?

Thou, therefore, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though, little, to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee, shall Mine come forth, to be ruler in Israel, - whose comings forth, have been from of old, from the days of age-past time.

But it shall come to pass, in the afterpart of the days, that the mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be, set up, as the head of the mountains, and, exalted, shall it be, above the hills, - and peoples, shall stream thereunto;

Then shall they shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof, - So shall he deliver from Assyria, when he shall enter our land, and when he shall tread down within our bounds.

Will Yahweh, be pleased, with thousands of rams? with myriads of torrents of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression? the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Hear ye peoples, all of you, Hearken, O earth and the fulness thereof, - and let My Lord Yahweh be among you for a witness, My Lord out of his holy temple.

For, all the peoples, walk, every man in the name of his god, - we, therefore, will walk in the name of Yahweh our God, to times age-abiding and beyond.

Who is a GOD like unto thee, taking away the iniquity - and passing over the transgression - of the remnant of his inheritance? He hath not held fast, perpetually, his anger, for, one who delighteth in lovingkindness, is he!

Wherewith, shall I come before Yahweh? bow myself to God on high? Shall I come before him with ascending-sacrifice? with calves of a year old?

Then, shall they make outcry unto Yahweh, but he will not answer them, - that he may hide his face from them, at that time, even as they have made wicked their doings.

And he will judge between many peoples, and be umpire to strong nations far and wide, - and they will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, Nation - against nation - shall not lift up sword, neither shall they learn - any more - to make war.

For lo! Yahweh, coming forth out of his place, - that he may descend, and march along upon the high places of the earth.

Thus, saith Yahweh, concerning the prophets who are leading astray my people, - who bite with their teeth, and then cry - Prosper! and whoso holdeth not to their mouth, they hallow against him a war!

And, the remnant of Jacob, shall be, in the midst of many peoples, as dew from Yahweh, as myriad drops on plants, - which tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of Adam.

Then shall the mountains be melted beneath him, and, the valleys, be cleft, - as wax before the fire, as waters poured out in a steep place.

Therefore, shall it be night to you, for lack of vision, and darkness to you, for lack of divination, - and the sun, shall go in, over the prophets, and the day, shall be overcast because of them;

In that day, Declareth Yahweh, will I take up her teat is lame, and, her that hath been an outcast, will I carry, - even whomsoever I have afflicted;

For the transgression of Jacob, is all this, and for the sin of the house of Israel, - Whose is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria's? And whose is the sin of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?

And, all her images, shall be beaten in pieces, and, all her rewards for unchastity, shall be burned in the fire, and, all her idols, will I make a desolation, - for, out of the reward of unchastity, she gathered them , and, unto the reward of unchastity, shall they return.

The voice of Yahweh, to the city, crieth out, With safety for him who regardeth his name, - Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

Therefore will I make of Samaria a heap in a field, the plantings in a vineyard, - and I will pour down, into the valley, her stones, and, her foundations, will I lay bare;

The indignation of Yahweh, will I bear, for I have sinned against him, - until he take up my controversy, then will he do me justice, he will bring me forth to the light, I shall behold his righteousness.

For this cause, will I lament and howl, I will go stript and bare, - I will make a lamentation, like the wild dogs, and a mourning, like ostriches.

In Gath, do not tell, in Accho, do not weep, - in Beth-l'aphrah, roll yourselves in dust.

And, the remnant of Jacob, shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the jungle, as a young lion among flocks of sheep, - who, if he passeth by, both treadeth down - and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

Therefore, - Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! devising, against this family, a calamity, - from which ye shall not remove your neck, neither shall ye walk loftily, for, a time of calamity, shall it be.

For dangerous are her wounds, - for she hath come as far as Judah, she hath reached as far as the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem.

Pass thou over (for you), thou inhabitress of Shaphir, of disgraceful disclosure, - the inhabitress of Zaanan, hath not gone forth, at the lamentation of Beth-ezel, shall he take from you his station,

Bind the chariot to the steed, O inhabitress of Lachish, - the beginning of sin, was she to the daughter of Zion, for, in thee, have been found the transgressions of Israel.

Though the inhabitress of Maroth waited for blessing, - yet there came down calamity from Yahweh, to the gate of Jerusalem.

Therefore, shalt thou give a dismission, against Moresheth-gath, - The houses of Achzib, served for a deception to the kings of Israel.

The time shall yet be when, the heir, I will bring unto thee, O inhabitress of Mareshah, - as far as Adullam, shall enter the glory of Israel.

Make thee bald, and cut off thy hair, for the children of thy pleasures, - enlarge thy baldness, like a vulture, for they are exiled from thee.

Thou, therefore, O Migdal-eder, mound of the daughter of Zion, as far as thee, shall it come, - so shall arrive the chief dominion, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

Even yet, are there, in the house of the lawless one, the treasures of lawlessness, - and the scant measure - accurst?

So shall she who had been mine enemy fear, and shame, shall cover her, who used to say unto me - Where is Yahweh thy God? Mine own eyes, shall look upon her, Now, shall she become one to he trodden down, like the mire of the lanes.

And it shall come to pass, in that day, Declareth Yahweh, That I will cut off thy horses out of thy midst, - and will destroy thy chariots;

Let thy hand be uplifted against thine adversaries, - and, all thine enemies, shall be cut off.

Thou, shalt sow, but shalt not reap, - thou, shalt tread the olive, but shalt not anoint thee with oil, also the grape, but shalt not drink the wine.

On the day for building thy walls, - on that day, far away shall be thy boundary:

Moreover also, I, have made thee sick with smiting thee, - laying thee waste because of thy sins.

And will make of her that was lame a residue, and of her that was removed far away a strong nation, - and Yahweh, shall be king, over them, in Mount Zion, from henceforth, even unto times age-abiding.

Therefore, shalt thou have none to throw a measuring-line by lot, - in the convocation of Yahweh.

Meanwhile, wherefore shouldst thou cry out aloud? King, is there none within thee? or hath, thy counselor, perished? for labour, hath seized thee, as a woman in child-birth: -

In that day, shall one take up against you a by-word, and lament a lamentable lamentation, saying - we are made, utterly desolate, the portion of my people, he passeth to others, - How doth he set me aside! To an apostate, our fields, doth he apportion.

And will cut off the cities of thy land, - and will pull down all thy fortresses;

Shall I be pure with lawless balances? or with bag of deceitful weights?

For, her rich men, are full of violence, and, her inhabitants, have spoken falsehood, - and, their tongue, is deceitful in their mouth.

And the men of vision, shall turn pale, and the diviners, shall blush, and shall put a covering upon their lip, all of them, - because there is no answer of God.

But, in very deed, I, am full of vigour, with the spirit of Yahweh, and of justice and of valour, - to declare to Jacob, his transgression, and to Israel, his sin.

The very day, that, against thee, shall one come from Assyria, and from the cities of Egypt; yea from Egypt, even unto the River, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain:

Do not sputter - So they sputter! They must not sputter as to these things, Must he not put away reproaches?

Be in labour, and bear, O daughter of Zion, as a woman in child-birth, - for, meanwhile, shalt thou go forth out of the city, and dwell in the field, and shalt come as far as Babylon, there, shalt thou be delivered, there, will Yahweh, redeem thee, out of the grasp of thine enemies.

And will cut off incantations, out of thy hand, - and, users of hidden arts, shalt thou not have;

The word of Yahweh which came unto Micah the Morashtite, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, kings of Judah, - of which he had vision concerning Samaria, and Jerusalem: -

Though the land become a desolation, because of them that dwell therein, - by reason of the fruit of their doings.

Shepherd thou thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine inheritance, Dwell thou alone, a jungle in the midst of a fruitful field, - Let them feed in Bashan and in Gilead, as in the days of age-past times.

Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and ye judges of the house of Israel, - who abhor justice, and, all right, do pervert:

Meanwhile, therefore, shall be gathered against thee many nations, - who are saying - Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.

As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt, will I shew him wonders.

Her heads, for a bribe, pronounce sentence, and, her priests, for a price, give direction, and, her prophets, for silver, divine, - yet, on Yahweh, they lean, saying, Is not, Yahweh, in our midst? there shall not come upon us, calamity.

I will, surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee, I will, surely gather, the remnant of Israel, at once, will I make them like sheep in distress, - Like a flock in the midst of its pasture, shall they hum with men,

O thou who art said to be the house of Jacob, Is the spirit of Yahweh, impatient? Or are, these, his doings? Are not, his words, pleasant to him who is upright in his walk?

But, against my people, as an enemy, he setteth himself, from off the robe, they tear away, the cloak, - from such as are passing by with confidence, as men averse from war.

And I will cut off thine images and thy pillars out of thy midst, - and thou shalt not bow thyself down, any more, to the work of thine own hands;

Wherefore, for your sake, Zion, as a field, shall be ploughed, and, Jerusalem, unto heaps of ruins, shall be turned, - and, the mountain of the house, shall be like mounds in a jungle.

And I will uproot thy Sacred Stems out of thy midst, - and will destroy thy cities:

Then will I execute, with anger and with indignation, vengeance upon the nations, - of which they have not heard.

Thou, shalt eat - and not be satisfied, but be shrunk with hunger within thee, - Though thou remove, yet shalt thou not set in safety, and, what thou dost set in safety, to the sword, will I deliver.

Hear, ye mountains, the controversy of Yahweh, and ye lasting rocks, the foundations of the earth, - for, a controversy, hath Yahweh, with his people, and, with Israel, will he dispute.

Thou wilt grant - the faithfulness to Jacob, the lovingkindness to Abraham, - which thou didst swear to our fathers, from the days of ancient time.

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for, thy horn, will I make to be iron, and, thy hoofs, will I make to he bronze, so shalt thou beat in pieces many peoples, - and shalt devote to Yahweh their unrighteous gain, and their substance, to the Lord of all the earth.

Building Zion, with deeds of blood, - and Jerusalem, with perversity.

Then said I, Hear, I pray you, ye heads of Jacob, and ye judges of the house of Israel, - Is it not yours to know justice?

They shall lick the dust like the serpent, Like the crawlers of the earth, shall they come quaking out of their fastnesses, - Towards Yahweh our God, shall they pay adoration, and shall fear because of thee.

But, they, know not the purposes of Yahweh, neither have they discerned his counsel, - for he hath gathered them, as sheaves, to a threshing-floor.

The wives of my people, ye do even drive out, each from the house of her darlings, - from over her children, ye do take away mine ornament, as long as life shall last.

Alas for them who devise iniquity and work wickedness upon their beds, - in the light of the morning, they will execute it, for it is in the power of their hand.

Arise ye and depart, for, this, is not the place of rest, - Because it is defiled, it shall make desolate with a desolation that is ruthless.

Then shall he stand, and tend his flock in the strength of Yahweh, In the excellency of the name of Yahweh his God, have they endured, - For, now, shall he be great unto the ends of the earth;

If there be a man, who goeth after wind, and, falsehood, hath woven, saying - I will discourse to thee, concerning wine and strong drink, then shall he become a fountain of discourse unto this people.

Nations, shall see, that they may turn pale at all their valour, - they shall lay hand on mouth, their ears, shall be silent:

For strictly observed are the statutes of Omri, and every doing of the house of Ahab, and ye have walked in their counsels, - to the end I may give thee up to desolation, and her inhabitants to hissing, that, the reproach of peoples, ye may bear.

But, I, for Yahweh, will watch, I will wait for the God of my salvation, - My God, will hear me.

And they shall dwell - every man - under his own vine and under his own fig-tree, with none to make them afraid, - for, the mouth of Yahweh of hosts, hath spoken.

One making a breach, hath gone up, before them, they have broken in, and passed through, and, by the gate, have departed, - and their king, hath passed through, before them, with, Yahweh, at their head!

For, the son, treateth as foolish, the father, and, the daughter, riseth up against, her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, - The foes of a man, are the men of his own house.

Therefore, will he give them up, until the time when, one who is to bring forth, hath brought forth, - and, the remainder of his brethren, return unto the sons of Israel.

Alas for me! for I am become as gatherings of summer fruit, as gleaning-grapes in harvest, there is no cluster to eat, the first ripe fruit, my soul, craved.

Thus do they covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them away, - and so they oppress the master and his household, the man and his inheritance.

For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and, out of the house of slaves, I ransomed thee, - and I sent before thee, Moses, Aaron and Miriam.

So shall this one be Prosperity. As for Assyria - when he shall enter our land, and when he shall tread down in our palaces, then will we raise up against him, seven shepherds, and eight princes of mankind.

O my people! remember, I pray you, what Balak king of Moab, counseled, and what Balaam son of Beer, answered him, - from the Acacias as far as Gilgal, that ye may know the righteousness of Yahweh.

Ye haters of right, and lovers of wrong, - tearing away their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

Who indeed have eaten the flesh of my people, and, their skin from off them, have stript, and, their bones, have they broken in pieces, - and will spread them out, as flesh with a fork, and as flesh, in the midst of a pot.

Meanwhile, shalt thou gather together in troops, thou daughter of a troop, siege, hath he laid against us, - with a sceptre, will they smite on the cheek, the judge of Israel!

Perished is the man of lovingkindness out of the earth, and, upright among men, is there none, - they all, for bloodshed, lie in wait. Every man - for his brother, do they hunt as for one devoted to destruction.

Do not trust in a friend, do not put confidence in an associate, - from her that lieth in thy bosom, keep thou the doors of thy mouth;

O my people! what have I done to thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? Testify thou against me!

The best of them, is as a sharp briar, and, the most upright, worse than a thorn hedge, The day of thy watchmen - of thy visitation, hath come, Now, shall be their confusion!

Of wickedness with both hands to make sure, the ruler, doth make demand - and the judge - for a recompense, - and, as for the great man, he, is putting into words the desire of his soul, So have they woven the net!

Hear, I pray you, what, Yahweh, is saying, - arise thou, maintain thy controversy before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice: -

Yea many nations, shall go, and say - come ye, and let us ascend unto the mountain of Yahweh, and unto the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us of his ways, and we may walk in his paths, - for, out of Zion, shall go forth a law, and, the word of Yahweh, out of Jerusalem;

He will again have compassion upon us, he will subdue our iniquities, - Thou wilt cast - into the depths of the sea - all their sins.

Do not rejoice, O mine enemy, against me, Though I fall, I shall rise again! Though I sit in darkness, Yahweh, is a light to me.