Amos — Chapter 5

1Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lamentation I take up against you:

2“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her up.”

3This is what the Lord GOD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong will have but a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”

4For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live!

5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.

6Seek the LORD and live, or He will sweep like fire through the house of Joseph; it will devour everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.

7There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.

8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth—the LORD is His name—

9He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the stronghold.

10There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.

11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.

12For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

13Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.

14Seek good, not evil, so that you may live. And the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.

15Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

16Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail.

17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.

18Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.

19It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.

20Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?

21“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.

22Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard.

23Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

26You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you made for yourselves.

27Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Hosts.

1Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.

2The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

3For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.

4For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

5But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

6Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

7Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

8Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

9That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

10They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

11Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.

12For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

13Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.

14Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

15Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

16Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

17And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

18Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

19As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

20Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

22Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

23Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

24But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

25Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.

1Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

2The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

3For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, to the house of Israel.

4For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;

5but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought.

6Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.

7Ye who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

8[seek him] that maketh the Pleiades and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth (Jehovah is his name);

9that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.

10They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

11Forasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions from him of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink the wine thereof.

12For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins-ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate [from their right].

13Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time; for it is an evil time.

14Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.

15Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

16Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all the broad ways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! Alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful in lamentation to wailing.

17And in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

18Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light.

19As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

20Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

23Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

24But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

25Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.

1Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you, family of Israel:

2“The virgin Israel has fallen down and will not get up again. She is abandoned on her own land with no one to help her get up.”

3The Sovereign Lord says this: “The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out with a hundred soldiers will have only ten left for the family of Israel.”

4The Lord says this to the family of Israel: “Seek me so you can live!

5Do not seek Bethel. Do not visit Gilgal. Do not journey down to Beer Sheba. For the people of Gilgal will certainly be carried into exile, and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds.”

6Seek the Lord so you can live! Otherwise he will break out like fire against Joseph’s family; the fire will consume, and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel.

7The Israelites turn justice into bitterness; they throw what is fair and right to the ground.

8But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion; he can turn the darkness into morning and daylight into night. He summons the water of the seas and pours it out on the earth’s surface. The Lord is his name!

9He flashes destruction down upon the strong so that destruction overwhelms the fortified places.

10The Israelites hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate; they despise anyone who speaks honestly.

11Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a grain tax from them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted.

12Certainly I am aware of your many rebellious acts and your numerous sins. You torment the innocent, you take bribes, and you deny justice to the needy at the city gate.

13For this reason whoever is smart keeps quiet in such a time, for it is an evil time.

14Seek good and not evil so you can live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies just might be with you, as you claim he is.

15Hate what is wrong, love what is right. Promote justice at the city gate. Maybe the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on those who are left from Joseph.

16Because of Israel’s sins this is what the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says: “In all the squares there will be wailing; in all the streets they will mourn the dead. They will tell the field workers to lament and the professional mourners to wail.

17In all the vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says the Lord.

18Woe to those who wish for the day of the Lord! Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come? It will bring darkness, not light.

19Disaster will be inescapable, as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear, then escaped into a house, leaned his hand against the wall, and was bitten by a poisonous snake.

20Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bring darkness, not light— gloomy blackness, not bright light?

21“I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies.

22Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied; I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves.

23Take away from me your noisy songs; I don’t want to hear the music of your stringed instruments.

24Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up.

25You did not bring me sacrifices and grain offerings during the 40 years you spent in the wilderness, family of Israel.

26You will pick up your images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kiyyun, your star god, which you made for yourselves,

27and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord. He is called the God of Heaven’s Armies.

1Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

2“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”

3For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

4For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

5but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

6Seek Yahweh, and you will live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

7You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth:

8seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,

9who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.

10They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

11Therefore, because you trample on the poor, and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12For I know how many your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.

13Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

14Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.

15Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

16Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways; and they will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.

17In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh.

18“Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light.

19As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; Or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

20Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.

22Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

23Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

25“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

26You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.