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18 Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord.
    What will this day of the Lord mean to you?
It will mean darkness, not light,
19     as if someone fled from a lion
    and was met by a bear,
or entered his house
    and rested his hand against the wall
    and was bitten by a snake.
20 Will not the day of the Lord
    be darkness, not light,
    day of gloom without any brightness?

I Despise Your Feasts

21 I loathe, I despise your festivals,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me
    your burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.
Nor will I look favorably
    upon your stall-fed peace offerings.
23 Spare me the noise of your chanting;
    I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
24 Rather, let justice flow like a river,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
    during those forty years in the desert,
    O house of Israel?
26 You have lifted up Sakuth, your king,
    and Kaiwan, your star god,
    the images that you have made for yourselves.
27 Therefore, I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,
    says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

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