2Hear ye, all peoples, and the earth perceive, and the plenty thereof, and be the Lord God to you into a witness, the Lord from his holy temple. (Hear ye, all the peoples, or all the nations, and the earth, and its plenty, understand, that the Lord God shall be a witness against you, yea, the Lord in his holy Temple.)

3For lo! the Lord shall go out of his place, and shall come down, and shall tread on high things of earth. (For lo! the Lord shall go out of his place, and shall come down, and shall tread upon the high places of the earth.)

4And mountains shall be wasted under him, and valleys shall be cut, as wax from the face of fire, and as waters that run down into a pit. (And the mountains shall be destroyed under him, and the valleys shall be cut open, like wax in the fire, and like the water that runneth down into a pit.)

5In the great trespass of Jacob is all this thing, and in the sins of the house of Israel. Which is the great trespass of Jacob? whether not Samaria? and which be the high things of Judah? whether not Jerusalem? (All of this is because of the great trespass of Jacob, and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the great trespass of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what is the high place, or the hill shrine, of Judah? is it not Jerusalem?)

6And I shall put Samaria as an heap of stones in the field, when a vineyard is planted; and I shall draw away the stones thereof into a valley, and I shall show the foundaments thereof. (And I shall make Samaria into a heap of stones in a field, where a vineyard can be planted; and I shall put all its stones into a valley, and I shall lay bare its foundations.)

7And all graven images thereof shall be beaten together, and all hires thereof shall be burnt in fire; and I shall put all the idols thereof into perdition; for of the hires of an whore those be gathered, and to hire of an whore those shall turn again. (And all its carved idols shall be altogether broken, and all its images, or all its figures, shall be burned in the fire; and so I shall put all its idols into perdition; for they be bought with the wages of a whore, and they shall return to the wages of a whore.)

8On this thing I shall wail and yell, I shall go spoiled and naked; I shall make wailing as of dragons, and mourning as of ostriches. (On this thing I shall wail and yell, I shall go robbed of my clothes and naked; I shall wail like the jackals, and mourn like the owls.)

9For wound thereof is despaired; for it came till to Judah, it touched the gate of my people, till to Jerusalem. (For its wound is incurable; for it came unto Judah, and it touched the gate of my people, yea, it came unto Jerusalem.)

10In Gath do not ye tell (it), by tears weep ye not; in the house of dust with dust (al)together sprinkle you. (Do not ye tell it out in Gath, weep ye not with tears; in Beth-aphrah sprinkle yourselves all over with dust.)

11And ye (of) a fair dwelling, pass to you, which is confounded with evil fame; it is not gone out, which dwelleth in the going out; a nigh house shall take of you wailing, which stood to itself. (And ye of Shaphir, go ye away, shamed with evil fame, or with ill repute; they who live in Zaanan be afraid to go out; they of Beth-ezel shall wail, and there shall be no refuge there.)

12For it is made sick [in]to good, which dwelleth in bitternesses. For evil came down from the Lord into the gate of Jerusalem, (They who live in Maroth wait anxiously for something good; for evil came down from the Lord unto the very gate of Jerusalem.)

13the noise of [a] four-horsed cart, of dread to the people dwelling at Lachish (Bind the horses to the chariots, ye people living in Lachish). It is the beginning of (the) sin of the daughter of Zion, for the great trespasses of Israel be found in thee.

14Therefore he shall give warriors on the heritage of Gath, on the houses of leasing into deceit to (the) kings of Israel. (And so he shall send warriors against Moreshethgath; the town of Achzib shall give no help to the kings of Israel.)

15Yet I shall bring an heir to thee, that dwellest in Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come till to (the cave in) Adullam. (And yet I shall bring an heir to thee, who livest in Mareshah; the glory, or the leaders, of Israel shall go and hide in the cave at Adullam.)

16Be thou made bald, and be thou clipped on the sons of thy delights; alarge thy baldness as an eagle, for they be led (away) captive from thee. (Be thou made bald, yea, shave thyselves, for the children that thou lovest; make thy baldness like that of a vulture, for they be led away captive from thee.)