¹Fly, I Benjamins Sønner, bort fra Jerusalem og stød i hornet i Tekoa, hejs Mærket over Bet-Kerem! Thi Ulykke truer fra Nord, et vældigt Sammenbrud.

¹Strengthen yourselves, sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem, And in Tekoa blow ye a trumpet, And over Beth-Haccerem lift ye up a flame, For evil hath been seen from the north, And great destruction.

²Jeg tilintetgør Zions Datter, den yndige, forvænte

²The comely and the delicate one I have cut off, The daughter of Zion.

³til hende kommer der Hyrder med deres Hjorde; de opslår Telte i Ring om hende, afgræsser hver sit Stykke.

³Unto her come do shepherds and their droves, They have stricken tents by her round about, They have fed each [in] his own station.

⁴Helliger Angrebet på hende! Op! Vi rykker frem ved Middag! Ve os, thi Dagen hælder, thi Aftenskyggerne længes.

⁴Sanctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening,

⁵Op! Vi rykker frem ved Nat og lægger hendes Borge øde.

⁵`Rise, and we go up by night, And we destroy her palaces.`

⁶Thi så siger Hærskarers HERRE: Fæld Træer og opkast en Vold imod Jerusalem ! Ve Løgnens By med lutter Voldsfærd i sin Midte!

⁶For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She [is] the city to be inspected, Wholly — she is oppression in her midst.

⁷Som Brønden sit Vand holder Byen sin Ondskab frisk; der høres om Voldsfærd og Hærværk, Sår og Slag har jeg altid for Øje.

⁷As the digging of a well, is [for] its waters, So she hath digged [for] her wickedness, Violence and spoil is heard in her, Before My face continually [are] sickness and smiting.

⁸Jerusalem, tag ved Lære, at min Sjæl ej vender sig fra dig, at jeg ikke skal gøre dig til Ørk, til folketomt, Land.

⁸Be instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.

⁹Så siger Hærskarers HERRE: Hold Efterhøst på Israels Rest, som det sker på en Vinstok, ræk som en Vingårdsmand atter din Hånd til dens Ranker!

⁹Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They surely glean, as a vine, the remnant of Israel, Put back thy hand, as a gatherer to the baskets.

¹⁰"For hvem skal jeg tale og vidne, så de hører derpå? Se, de har uomskårne Ører, kan ej lytte til; se, HERRENs Ord er til Spot og huer dem ikke.

¹⁰To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear [is] uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it.

¹¹Jeg er fuld af HERRENs Vrede og træt af at tæmme den." Gyd den ud over Barnet på Gaden, over hele de unges Flok; både Mand og Kvinde skal fanges, gammel og Olding tillige;

¹¹And with the fury of Jehovah I have been filled, (I have been weary of containing,) To pour [it] on the suckling in the street, And on the assembly of youths together, For even husband with wife are captured, An elder with one full of days,

¹²deres Huse, Marker og Kvinder skal alle tilfalde andre; thi jeg udrækker Hånden mod Landets Folk, så lyder det fra HERREN.

¹²And their houses have been turned to others, Fields and wives together, For I stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah.

¹³Thi fra små til store søger hver eneste Vinding, de farer alle med Løgn fra Profet til Præst.

¹³For from their least unto their greatest, Every one is gaining dishonest gain, And from prophet even unto priest, Every one is dealing falsely,

¹⁴De læger mit Folks Brøst som den simpleste Sag, idet de siger: "Fred, Fred!" skønt der ikke er Fred.

¹⁴And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, `Peace, peace!` and there is no peace.

¹⁵De skal få Skam, thi de har gjort vederstyggelige Ting, og dog blues de ikke, dog kender de ikke til Skam. Derfor skal de falde på Valen; på Hjemsøgelsens Dag skal de snuble, siger HERREN.

¹⁵They were ashamed when they did abomination! Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Yea, blushing they have not known, Therefore they do fall among those falling, In the time I have inspected them, They stumble, said Jehovah.

¹⁶Så siger HERREN: Stå ved Vejene og se efter, spørg efter de gamle Stier, hvor Vejen er til alt godt, og gå på den; så finder I Hvile for eders Sjæle. Men de svarede: "Det vil vi ikke."

¹⁶Thus said Jehovah: Stand ye by the ways and see, and ask for paths of old, Where [is] this — the good way? and go ye in it, And find rest for yourselves. And they say, `We do not go.`

¹⁷Og jeg satte Vægtere over dem: "Hør Hornets Klang!" Men de svarede: "Det vil vi ikke."

¹⁷And I have raised up for you watchmen, Attend ye to the voice of the trumpet. And they say, `We do not attend.`

¹⁸Hør derfor, I Folk, og vidn imod dem!

¹⁸Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O company, That which [is] upon them.

¹⁹Hør, du Jord! Se, jeg sender Ulykke over dette Folk, Frugten at deres Frafald, thi de lyttede ikke til mine Ord og lod hånt om min Lov.

¹⁹Hear, O earth, lo, I am bringing evil on this people, The fruit of their devices, For to My words they gave no attention, And My law — they kick against it.

²⁰Hvad skal jeg med Røgelsen, der kommer fra Saba, med den dejlige Kalmus fra det fjerne Land? Eders Brændofre er ej til Behag, eders Slagtofre huer mig ikke.

²⁰Why [is] this to Me? frankincense from Sheba cometh, And the sweet cane from a land afar off, Your burnt-offerings [are] not for acceptance, And your sacrifices have not been sweet to Me.

²¹Derfor, så siger HERREN: Se, jeg sætter Anstød for dette Folk, og de skal støde an derimod, både Fædre og Sønner; både Nabo og Genbo skal omkomme.

²¹Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I do give to this people stumbling blocks, And stumbled against them have fathers and sons together, The neighbour and his friend do perish.

²²Så siger HERREN: Se, et Folkeslag kommer fra Nordens Land, et vældigt Folk bryder op fra det yderste af Jorden.

²²Thus said Jehovah: Lo, a people hath come from a north country, And a great nation is stirred up from the sides of the earth.

²³De fører Bue og Spyd, er skånselsløst grumme; deres Røst er som Havets Brusen, de rider på Heste, rustet som Stridsmand mod dig, du Zions Datter.

²³Bow and javelin they take hold of, Fierce it [is], and they have no mercy, Their voice as a sea doth sound, And on horses they ride, set in array as a man of war, Against thee, O daughter of Zion.

²⁴Vi hørte Rygtet derom, vore Hænder blev slappe, Rædsel greb os, Skælven som fødende Kvinde.

²⁴`We have heard its sound, feeble have been our hands, Distress hath seized us, pain as of a travailing woman.

²⁵Gå ikke ud på Marken og følg ej Vejen, thi Fjenden bærer Sværd, trindt om er Rædsel.

²⁵Go not forth to the field, And in the way walk not, For a sword hath the enemy, fear [is] round about.

²⁶Klæd dig i Sæk, mit Folks Datter, vælt dig i Støvet, hold Sorg som over den enbårne, bitter Klage! Thi Hærværksmanden skal brat komme over os.

²⁶O daughter of My people, Gird on sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes, The mourning of an only one make for thee, A lamentation most bitter, For suddenly come doth the spoiler against us.

²⁷Til Metalprøver, Guldprøver, gjorde jeg dig i mit Folk til at kende og prøve deres Færd.

²⁷A watch-tower I have given thee, Among My people a fortress, And thou knowest, and hast tried their way.

²⁸De faldt alle genstridige fra, de går og bagtaler, er kun Kobber og Jern, alle handler de slet.

²⁸All of them are turned aside by apostates, Walking slanderously — brass and iron, All of them are corrupters.

²⁹Bælgen blæser, af Ilden kommer kun Bly. Al Smelten er spildt, de onde udskilles ej.

²⁹The bellows have been burnt, By fire hath the lead been consumed, In vain hath a refiner refined, And the wicked have not been drawn away.

³⁰Giv dem Navn af vraget Sølv, thi dem har HERREN vraget.

³⁰`Silver rejected,` they have called to them, For Jehovah hath kicked against them!