7 ^[a]How beautiful your sandaled feet,
    O prince’s^(A) daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
    the work of an artist’s hands.
² Your navel is a rounded goblet
    that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
    encircled by lilies.
³ Your breasts^(B) are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle.
⁴ Your neck is like an ivory tower.^(C)
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon^(D)
    by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon^(E)
    looking toward Damascus.
⁵ Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.^(F)
    Your hair is like royal tapestry;
    the king is held captive by its tresses.
⁶ How beautiful^(G) you are and how pleasing,
    my love, with your delights!^(H)
7 Your stature is like that of the palm,
    and your breasts^(I) like clusters of fruit.
⁸ I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
    I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
    the fragrance of your breath like apples,^(J)
9     and your mouth like the best wine.

8 If only you were to me like a brother,
    who was nursed at my mother’s breasts!
Then, if I found you outside,
    I would kiss you,
    and no one would despise me.
² I would lead you
    and bring you to my mother’s house^(U)—
    she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
    the nectar of my pomegranates.
³ His left arm is under my head
    and his right arm embraces me.^(V)
4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
    Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.^(W)

⁴ Woe to the sinful nation,
    a people whose guilt is great,^(P)
a brood of evildoers,^(Q)
    children given to corruption!^(R)
They have forsaken^(S) the Lord;
    they have spurned the Holy One^(T) of Israel
    and turned their backs^(U) on him.

⁵ Why should you be beaten^(V) anymore?
    Why do you persist^(W) in rebellion?^(X)
Your whole head is injured,
    your whole heart^(Y) afflicted.^(Z)
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head^(AA)
    there is no soundness^(AB)—
only wounds and welts^(AC)
    and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged^(AD)
    or soothed with olive oil.^(AE)

⁷ Your country is desolate,^(AF)
    your cities burned with fire;^(AG)
your fields are being stripped by foreigners^(AH)
    right before you,
    laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.^(AI)
8 Daughter Zion^(AJ) is left^(AK)
    like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut^(AL) in a cucumber field,
    like a city under siege.
⁹ Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us some survivors,^(AM)
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.^(AN)

¹⁰ Hear the word of the Lord,^(AO)
    you rulers of Sodom;^(AP)
listen to the instruction^(AQ) of our God,
    you people of Gomorrah!^(AR)
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
    what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;^(AS)
I have no pleasure^(AT)
    in the blood of bulls^(AU) and lambs and goats.^(AV)
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who has asked this of you,^(AW)
    this trampling of my courts?
¹³ Stop bringing meaningless offerings!^(AX)
    Your incense^(AY) is detestable^(AZ) to me.
New Moons,^(BA) Sabbaths and convocations^(BB)—
    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
¹⁴ Your New Moon^(BC) feasts and your appointed festivals^(BD)
    I hate with all my being.^(BE)
They have become a burden to me;^(BF)
    I am weary^(BG) of bearing them.
¹⁵ When you spread out your hands^(BH) in prayer,
    I hide^(BI) my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.^(BJ)

Your hands^(BK) are full of blood!^(BL)

¹⁶ Wash^(BM) and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;^(BN)
    stop doing wrong.^(BO)
17 Learn to do right;^(BP) seek justice.^(BQ)
    Defend the oppressed.^[a](BR)
Take up the cause of the fatherless;^(BS)
    plead the case of the widow.^(BT)

¹⁸ “Come now, let us settle the matter,”^(BU)
    says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they shall be as white as snow;^(BV)
though they are red as crimson,
    they shall be like wool.^(BW)
19 If you are willing and obedient,^(BX)
    you will eat the good things of the land;^(BY)
20 but if you resist and rebel,^(BZ)
    you will be devoured by the sword.”^(CA)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(CB)

²¹ See how the faithful city
    has become a prostitute!^(CC)
She once was full of justice;
    righteousness^(CD) used to dwell in her—
    but now murderers!^(CE)
22 Your silver has become dross,^(CF)
    your choice wine is diluted with water.
²³ Your rulers are rebels,^(CG)
    partners with thieves;^(CH)
they all love bribes^(CI)
    and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
    the widow’s case does not come before them.^(CJ)

²⁴ Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    the Mighty One^(CK) of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
    and avenge^(CL) myself on my enemies.^(CM)
25 I will turn my hand against you;^[b](CN)
    I will thoroughly purge^(CO) away your dross^(CP)
    and remove all your impurities.^(CQ)
26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,^(CR)
    your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called^(CS)
    the City of Righteousness,^(CT)
    the Faithful City.^(CU)”

²⁷ Zion will be delivered with justice,
    her penitent^(CV) ones with righteousness.^(CW)
28 But rebels and sinners^(CX) will both be broken,
    and those who forsake^(CY) the Lord will perish.^(CZ)

²⁹ “You will be ashamed^(DA) because of the sacred oaks^(DB)
    in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens^(DC)
    that you have chosen.
³⁰ You will be like an oak with fading leaves,^(DD)
    like a garden without water.
³¹ The mighty man will become tinder
    and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
    with no one to quench the fire.^(DE)”

the mountain^(DI) of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;^(DJ)
it will be exalted^(DK) above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.^(DL)

“Come, let us go^(DN) up to the mountain^(DO) of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law^(DP) will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.^(DQ)
4 He will judge^(DR) between the nations
    and will settle disputes^(DS) for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.^(DT)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,^(DU)
    nor will they train for war anymore.

⁵ Come, descendants of Jacob,^(DV)
    let us walk in the light^(DW) of the Lord.

¹⁰ Go into the rocks, hide^(EO) in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!^(EP)
11 The eyes of the arrogant^(EQ) will be humbled^(ER)
    and human pride^(ES) brought low;^(ET)
the Lord alone will be exalted^(EU) in that day.^(EV)

¹² The Lord Almighty has a day^(EW) in store
    for all the proud^(EX) and lofty,^(EY)
for all that is exalted^(EZ)
    (and they will be humbled),^(FA)
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,^(FB) tall and lofty,^(FC)
    and all the oaks of Bashan,^(FD)
14 for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,^(FE)
15 for every lofty tower^(FF)
    and every fortified wall,^(FG)
16 for every trading ship^[d](FH)
    and every stately vessel.
¹⁷ The arrogance of man will be brought low^(FI)
    and human pride humbled;^(FJ)
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,^(FK)
18     and the idols^(FL) will totally disappear.^(FM)

¹⁹ People will flee to caves^(FN) in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground^(FO)
from the fearful presence^(FP) of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,^(FQ)
    when he rises to shake the earth.^(FR)
20 In that day^(FS) people will throw away
    to the moles and bats^(FT)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,^(FU)
    which they made to worship.^(FV)
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks^(FW)
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,^(FX)
    when he rises^(FY) to shake the earth.^(FZ)

²² Stop trusting in mere humans,^(GA)
    who have but a breath^(GB) in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?^(GC)