Hear this, ye elders, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land, - hath this ever happened in your days? or in the days of your fathers?

Concerning it, to your children, tell ye the story, - and your children, to their children, and their children, to the generation following: -

Awake, ye drunkards, and weep, and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, - over the new wine, because it hath been cut off from your mouth.

For, a nation, hath come up over my land, bold, and without number, - his teeth, are the teeth of a lion, and, the fangs of a lioness, hath he!

He hath turned my vine to a waste, and my fig-tree to splinters, - he hath, barked it clean, and cast it down, bleached are its branches.

Cut off are the meal-offering and the drink-offering, from the house of Yahweh, - In grief are the priests, the attendants on Yahweh: -

Gird yourselves and beat the breast - ye priests, howl, ye attendants of the altar, go in and wrap yourselves for the night in sackcloth, ye attendants on my God, - for, withholden from the house of your God, are the meal-offering and the drink- offering.

Hallow ye a fast, Call a solemn assembly, Gather, O elders, all the inhabitants of the land, unto the house of Yahweh your God, - and make ye outcry unto Yahweh.

Is it not, before our eyes, that, food, hath been cut off? From the house of our God, rejoicing and exultation.

Rotted hath the seed, under their clods, Laid waste are their stores, Thrown down are the garners, - Yea abashed is the corn.

How do the beasts groan! Perplexed are the herds of oxen, because there is no pasture for them, - even, the flocks of sheep, are destroyed!

Even the beasts of the field, moan unto thee, - because dried up are the channels of water, and, a fire, hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

As the appearance of horses, is his appearance, and, as war-horses, so, shall they run:

Like heroes, shall they run, like men of war, shall they mount a wall, - and, every one - along his own road, shall they march along, and shall not change their paths;

Even now, therefore, urgeth Yahweh, Turn ye unto me, with all your heart, - and with fasting and with weeping, and with lamentation;

And rend your heart, and not your garments, turn therefore, unto Yahweh your God, - for, gracious and full of compassion, is he, slow to anger, and abundant in loving- kindness, and will grieve over calamity.

Who knoweth, he may turn and grieve, - and leave behind him, a blessing, a meal-offering and a drink-offering, to Yahweh your God?

Between the porch and the altar, let the priests, weep, the attendants of Yahweh, - and let them say - Look with pity, O Yahweh, upon thy people, and do not deliver thine inheritance to reproach, that the nations, should mock them, Why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

Ye sons of Zion, then, exult and be glad in Yahweh your God, for he hath given you the seed-rain, in right manner, - Yea he hath caused to descend for you a down-pour, of seed-rain and of the harvest-rain in the first month;

Then will I make good to you the years which were eaten by the swarming locust, the grass locust, and the corn locust and the creeping locust, - even my great army, which I sent among you.

And ye shall eat and eat, and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Yahweh your God, who hath dealt with you wondrously, - so shall my people, not be abashed, unto times age-abiding.

So shall ye know that, in the midst of Israel, I am, and that, I, Yahweh, am your God, and none else, - and my people, shall not be abashed, unto times age-abiding.

And it shall come to pass, afterwards, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters, shall prophesy, - your old men, shall dream, dreams, your young men, shall see, visions;

Moreover also, what have, ye, to do with me, O Tyre and Zidon, and all the circuit of Palestine? A recompense, are ye paying back unto me? But, though ye should make a recompense unto me, swiftly, speedily, would I return your recompense upon your own head.

Because, my silver and my gold, ye took away, - and, my richly beautiful things, carried ye into your temples;

Behold me! rousing them up out of the place whither ye sold them, - So will I bring back your dealing upon your own head.

And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to Sabeans, unto a nation afar off, - for, Yahweh, hath spoken.

Proclaim ye this, among the nations, Hallow a war, rouse the mighty ones, let them draw near, come up, all the men of war!

Beat your plough-shares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears, - as for the weak, let him say, mighty, I am.

So shall ye know that, I, Yahweh, am your God, making my habitation in Zion my holy mountain, - So shall, Jerusalem, be, holy, and, foreigners, shall pass through her no more.