¹ Hear ye this word that Jehovah hath spoken concerning you, O sons of Israel, concerning all the family that I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:

² Only you I have known of all families of the land, Therefore I charge on you all your iniquities.

³ Do two walk together if they have not met?

⁴ Roar doth a lion in a forest and prey he hath none? Give out doth a young lion his voice from his habitation, If he hath not caught?

⁵ Doth a bird fall into a snare of the earth, And there is no gin for it? Doth a snare go up from the ground, And prey it captureth not?

⁶ Is a trumpet blown in a city, And do people not tremble? Is there affliction in a city, And Jehovah hath not done [it]?

⁷ For the Lord Jehovah doth nothing, Except He hath revealed His counsel unto His servants the prophets.

⁸ A lion hath roared -- who doth not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken -- who doth not prophesy?

⁹ Sound ye unto palaces in Ashdod, And to palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: Be ye gathered on mountains of Samaria, And see many troubles within her, And oppressed ones in her midst.

¹⁰ And they have not known to act straightforwardly, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are treasuring up violence and spoil in their palaces.

¹¹ Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: An adversary -- and surrounding the land, And he hath brought down from thee thy strength, And spoiled have been thy palaces.

¹² Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd delivereth from the lion's mouth Two legs, or a piece of an ear, So delivered are the sons of Israel, Who are sitting in Samaria on the corner of a bed, And in Damascus [on that of] a couch.

¹³ Hear ye and testify to the house of Jacob, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, God of Hosts.

¹⁴ For in the day of My charging the transgressions of Israel on him, I have laid a charge on the altars of Beth-El, And cut off have been the horns of the altar, And they have fallen to the earth.

¹⁵ And I have smitten the winter-house with the summer-house, And perished have houses of ivory, And consumed have been many houses, An affirmation of Jehovah!

¹ The burden of the wilderness of the sea. `Like hurricanes in the south for passing through, From the wilderness it hath come, From a fearful land.

² A hard vision hath been declared to me, The treacherous dealer is dealing treacherously, And the destroyer is destroying. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Media, All its sighing I have caused to cease.

³ Therefore filled have been my loins [with] great pain, Pangs have seized me as pangs of a travailing woman, I have been bent down by hearing, I have been troubled by seeing.

⁴ Wandered hath my heart, trembling hath terrified me, The twilight of my desire He hath made a fear to me,

⁵ Arrange the table, watch in the watch-tower, Eat, drink, rise, ye heads, anoint the shield,

⁶ For thus said the Lord unto me: `Go, station the watchman, That which he seeth let him declare.'

⁷ And he hath seen a chariot -- a couple of horsemen, The rider of an ass, the rider of a camel, And he hath given attention -- He hath increased attention!

⁸ And he crieth -- a lion, `On a watch-tower my lord, I am standing continually by day, And on my ward I am stationed whole nights.

⁹ And lo, this, the chariot of a man is coming, A couple of horsemen.' And he answereth and saith: `Fallen, Fallen hath Babylon, And all the graven images of her gods He hath broken to the earth.

¹⁰ O my threshing, and the son of my floor, That which I heard from Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, I have declared to you!'

¹¹ The burden of Dumah. Unto me is [one] calling from Seir `Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?'

¹² The watchman hath said, `Come hath morning, and also night, If ye inquire, inquire ye, turn back, come.'

¹³ The burden on Arabia. In a forest in Arabia ye lodge, O travellers of Dedanim.

¹⁴ To meet the thirsty brought water have Inhabitants of the land of Tema, With his bread they came before a fugitive.

¹⁵ For from the face of destructions they fled, From the face of a stretched-out sword, And from the face of a trodden bow, And from the face of the grievousness of battle.

¹⁶ For thus said the Lord unto me: `Within a year, as years of a hireling, Consumed hath been all the honour of Kedar.

¹⁷ And the remnant of the number of bow-men, The mighty of the sons of Kedar are few, For Jehovah, God of Israel, hath spoken!'