¹ Hear this word, a lamentation, which I take up against you, O house of Israel.

² The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more arise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

³ For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, for the house of Israel.

⁴ For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live.

⁵ And seek not Bethel, neither go to Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

⁶ Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and there be none to quench [it] in Bethel.

⁷ Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

⁸ [seek him] that made the Pleiades and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah is his name.

⁹ He causeth destruction to break forth suddenly upon the strong, and bringeth destruction upon the fortress.

¹⁰ They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

¹¹ Forasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, and take from him presents of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, and ye shall not drink the wine of them.

¹² For I know how manifold are your transgressions and your sins mighty: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside [the right of] the needy in the gate.

¹³ Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in this time; for it is an evil time.

¹⁴ Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye say.

¹⁵ Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶ Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all broadways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! alas! And they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

¹⁷ And in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

¹⁸ Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! To what end is the day of Jehovah for you? It shall be darkness and not light:

¹⁹ as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

²⁰ Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

²¹ I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell [a sweet odour] in your solemn assemblies.

²² For if ye offer up unto me burnt-offerings and your oblations, I will not accept [them]; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fatted beasts.

²³ Take away from me the noise of thy songs, and I will not hear the melody of thy lutes;

²⁴ but let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream.

²⁵ Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and oblations in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

²⁶ Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye had made to yourselves;

²⁷ and I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.

¹ "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.

² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

³ Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,

⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

⁵ Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!'

⁷ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

⁸ The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'

⁹ But the wise answered, saying, 'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'

¹⁰ While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

¹¹ Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.'

¹² But he answered, 'Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you.'

¹³ Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

¹⁴ "For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.

¹⁵ To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.

¹⁶ Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

¹⁷ In the same way, he also who got the two gained another two.

¹⁸ But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

¹⁹ "Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.

²⁰ He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.'

²¹ "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

²² "He also who got the two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.'

²³ "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

²⁴ "He also who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.

²⁵ I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.'

²⁶ "But his lord answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn't sow, and gather where I didn't scatter.

²⁷ You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest.

²⁸ Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.

²⁹ For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away.

³⁰ Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

³¹ "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

³² Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

³³ He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

³⁴ Then the King will tell those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

³⁵ for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.

³⁶ I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.'

³⁷ "Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?

³⁸ When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?

³⁹ When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?'

⁴⁰ "The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

⁴¹ Then he will say also to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;

⁴² for I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;

⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'

⁴⁴ "Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn't help you?'

⁴⁵ "Then he will answer them, saying, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me.'

⁴⁶ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."