6:1 Flee for safety, ye children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great destruction.
6:1 "Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem! Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa, And raise a signal over Beth-haccerem; For evil looks down from the north, And a great destruction.

6:2 The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off.
6:2 "The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off.

6:3 Shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.
6:3 "Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, They will pitch [their] tents around her, They will pasture each in his place.

6:4 Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day declineth, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.
6:4 "Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!

6:5 Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us destroy her palaces.
6:5 "Arise, and let us attack by night And destroy her palaces!"

6:6 For thus hath Jehovah of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.
6:6 For thus says the LORD of hosts, "Cut down her trees, And cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression.

6:7 As a well casteth forth its waters, so she casteth forth her wickedness: violence and destruction is heard in her; before me continually is sickness and wounds.
6:7 "As a well keeps its waters fresh, So she keeps fresh her wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard in her; Sickness and wounds are ever before Me.

6:8 Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul be alienated from thee; lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.
6:8 "Be warned, O Jerusalem, Lest I be alienated from you; Lest I make you a desolation, A land not inhabited."

6:9 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn again thy hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets.
6:9 Thus says the LORD of hosts, "They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel; Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer Over the branches."

6:10 To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah is become unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
6:10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed, And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.

6:11 Therefore I am full of the wrath of Jehovah; I am weary with holding in: pour it out upon the children in the street, and upon the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.
6:11 But I am full of the wrath of the LORD: I am weary with holding [ it] in. "Pour [it] out on the children in the street, And on the gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, The aged and the very old.

6:12 And their houses shall be turned unto others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah.
6:12 "And their houses shall be turned over to others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land," declares the LORD.

6:13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
6:13 "For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.

6:14 They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
6:14 "And they have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace.

6:15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith Jehovah.
6:15 "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD.

6:16 Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will not walk (therein).
6:16 Thus says the LORD, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk [in it].'

6:17 And I set watchmen over you, (saying), Hearken to the sound of the trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken.
6:17 "And I set watchmen over you, [saying,] 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.'

6:18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.
6:18 "Therefore hear, O nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them.

6:19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.
6:19 "Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, The fruit of their plans, Because they have not listened to My words, And as for My law, they have rejected it also.

6:20 To what purpose cometh there to me frankincense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing unto me.
6:20 "For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, And the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me."

6:21 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people; and the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them; the neighbor and his friend shall perish.
6:21 Therefore, thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, Fathers and sons together; Neighbor and friend will perish."

6:22 Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, a people cometh from the north country; and a great nation shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
6:22 Thus says the LORD, "Behold, a people is coming from the north land, And a great nation will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.

6:23 They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Zion.
6:23 "They seize bow and spear; They are cruel and have no mercy; Their voice roars like the sea, And they ride on horses, Arrayed as a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Zion!"

6:24 We have heard the report thereof; our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, (and) pangs as of a woman in travail.
6:24 We have heard the report of it; Our hands are limp. Anguish has seized us, Pain as of a woman in childbirth.

6:25 Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy, (and) terror, are on every side.
6:25 Do not go out into the field, And do not walk on the road, For the enemy has a sword, Terror is on every side.

6:26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us.
6:26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth And roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us.

6:27 I have made thee a trier (and) a fortress among my people; that thou mayest know and try their way.
6:27 "I have made you an assayer [and] a tester among My people, That you may know and assay their way."

6:28 They are all grievous revolters, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron: they all of them deal corruptly.
6:28 All of them are stubbornly rebellious, Going about as a talebearer. [ They are] bronze and iron; They, all of them, are corrupt.

6:29 The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed of the fire: in vain do they go on refining; for the wicked are not plucked away.
6:29 The bellows blow fiercely, The lead is consumed by the fire; In vain the refining goes on, But the wicked are not separated.

6:30 Refuse silver shall men them, because Jehovah hath rejected them.
6:30 They call them rejected silver, Because the LORD has rejected them.