Amos 5
1 Luistert dus naar dit woord, Israëls huis, Naar de klaagzang, die ik over u aanhef:
You people [MTY] of Israel, listen to this funeral song that I will sing about you:
2 Gevallen, de jonkvrouw van Israël, nooit staat ze meer op, Uitgestrekt op haar grond, en niemand om haar op te heffen!
“You are like [MET] a young woman, but in spite of that, you will certainly be struck down and you will never get up again! You will lie on the ground, abandoned, and there will be no one to help you stand up.”
3 Want zo spreekt Jahweh, de Heer: De stad, die ten strijde trok met duizend man, Houdt er maar honderd van over; En die met honderd optrok, slechts tien.
This is what Yahweh the Lord says to the people [MTY] of Israel: [“When your enemies attack you, ] and when 1,000 [of your soldiers] will go [to a battle], there will be only 100 who will survive. When 100 soldiers march out [from a city to fight], there will be only ten who will remain alive.”
4 Want zo spreekt Jahweh tot Israëls huis: Zoekt Mij, opdat ge moogt leven;
Yahweh continues to say to the people [MTY] of Israel: “You Israeli people, return to me! If you do that, you will continue to remain alive.
5 Maar zoekt Betel niet op, en gaat niet naar Gilgal, Want Gilgal moet weg, en Betel wordt niets!
Do not go to Bethel to seek [my help]; do not go to Gilgal [to worship]; do not [even] go to Beersheba, because [your enemies] will drag away [the people of] Gilgal to other countries, and Bethel will be completely destroyed.”
6 Zoekt Jahweh, opdat ge moogt leven; Anders steekt Hij het huis van Josef in vlammen, Die het huis van Israël verteren, Zonder dat iemand kan blussen!
So, come to Yahweh; if you do that, you will remain alive. If you do not do that, Yahweh will descend on you descendants [MTY] of Joseph like [SIM] a fire; that fire will burn everything in Bethel, and (nothing/no one) will be able to save that town.
7 Wee hun, die het recht in alsem veranderen, De gerechtigheid tegen de grond slaan,
You people distort what is fair/right and cause [people to think that] it is something that is very bitter; you treat good things as though they are evil.
8 Hij, die het zevengesternte en de Orion schiep, Die de duisternis in de morgen verkeert, De dag in stikdonkere nacht; Die oproept het water der zee En het uitgiet over de aarde; Jahweh is zijn Naam:
[Do you know who] created all the groups of stars and put them in their places? [Each morning] he causes the darkness to become the dawn, and [each evening] he causes the daylight to become darkness. He scoops up water from the oceans [to become clouds], and then he dumps the water [from the clouds] onto the earth. The one who does those things is named Yahweh.
9 Hij is het, die de sterkte sloopt, En de vesting vernielt!
He causes strong [soldiers] to be killed, and causes the (high walls around/fortresses of) cities to be torn down.
10 Haten, die in de poort berispt, Verfoeien, die de waarheid spreekt!
[He is the one who will punish you] because you hate those who challenge anyone who tries to make unjust decisions, and you hate those who tell the truth in your courts.
11 Waarachtig, omdat ge den zwakke vertrapt, En hem cijns van koren afperst, Daarom kunt ge wel huizen van hardsteen bouwen, Maar bewonen zult ge ze niet! Ge moogt liefelijke wijngaarden planten, Maar ge zult er de wijn niet van drinken;
You oppress poor people and force them to pay big taxes. You have built big stone mansions [for yourselves], but you will not be able to live in them. You have planted vineyards, but there will not be any [grapes for you to harvest to make] wine.
12 Want Ik weet, hoe talloos uw misdaden zijn, Hoe vreselijk uw zonden. Ge verdrukt den rechtvaardige, neemt steekgelden aan, En dringt in de poort de armen op zij;
I know all of your sins and the terrible crimes that you have committed. You oppress righteous/honest people, and you accept bribes. You do not allow judges to treat poor people justly.
13 Daarom doet een verstandige er nu maar het zwijgen aan toe, Want het is een ellendige tijd!
This is a time when [many people do] evil things, so people who have good sense say nothing [when they hear about such things being done].
14 Zoekt het goede, en niet het kwaad, Opdat ge moogt leven, En Jahweh, der heirscharen God, Met u moge blijven, zoals ge dat zegt.
In order to remain alive, you must stop doing what is wrong, and start doing what is right. If you do that, the Commander of the armies of angels will be with you like you claim [that he always is].
15 Haat het kwaad, hebt het goede lief, En handhaaft het recht in de poort: Misschien zal Jahweh, der heirscharen God, Zich nog over de resten van Josef ontfermen!
Love what is good, and hate what is evil! Try to cause [judges] in your courts to make decisions that are right/fair! If you do those things, perhaps the Commander of the armies of angels will act mercifully toward [you descendants of] Joseph who are still alive.
16 Daarom spreekt Jahweh, de Heer, Der heirscharen God: Op alle pleinen breekt de jammerkreet los, Op alle straten gilt men: Wee, wee! Men roept zelfs den landman op om te rouwen, Om te jammeren in de rij van de klagers;
“Because I, Yahweh, [will punish you for your sins], this is what I have solemnly declared: People will be wailing loudly in every street, and people will be very sorrowful in every plaza. Farmers will be summoned to [come and] weep, along with the other official mourners who will wail [for those who have died].
17 In alle wijngaarden wordt de weeklacht gehoord, Want Ik trek door uw midden, spreekt Jahweh!
People will be wailing in your vineyards, because I will punish you [IDM] severely. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it!”
18 Wee hun, die naar de Dag van Jahweh verlangen! Wat zal de Dag van Jahweh u brengen? Duisternis en geen licht:
Terrible things will happen to you who desire that it will soon be the day when Yahweh [will punish your enemies], because that will be a day of darkness, not of light.
19 Zoals iemand, die vlucht voor een leeuw, En aangevallen wordt door een beer; Of die zijn huis binnengaat, met de hand aan de muur leunt, En door een slang wordt gebeten!
[At that time, ] when you try to run from a lion, you will face a bear. When you run into your house [to be safe], and you put your hand on a wall, it will be bitten by a snake.
20 Ja, de Dag van Jahweh zal enkel duisternis zijn en geen licht, Stikdonker zonder enige glans!
That day, [when he punishes people], will certainly be [RHQ] a very dark day [MET], without even a little bit of light.
21 Ik haat en verfoei uw feesten, En walg van uw hoogtijden!
[Yahweh says], “I hate your religious celebrations and the times when you gather to worship me; I detest them [DOU].
22 Brengt ge Mij offers en gaven, Ik wil ze niet meer, Naar uw vette offeranden zie Ik niet om;
Even if you bring me offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar] and offerings of grain, I will no longer accept them. Even if you bring me offerings to renew/maintain fellowship with me, I will not pay any attention to them.
23 Weg van Mij het lawaai van uw zangen, Het geruis van uw harpen wil Ik niet horen.
So, stop singing noisy/loud songs! I will not listen when you play harps.
24 Laat liever het recht als water golven, De gerechtigheid als een immervlietende beek!
Instead, your continually acting justly/fairly and righteously should be [never stop, ] like [SIM] [the water in] a river that never stops flowing.
25 Hebt ge Mij offers en gaven gebracht In de woestijn, huis van Israël, veertig jaar lang?
You Israeli people [MTY], your [ancestors] wandered through the desert for 40 years; and during that time, they never brought any sacrifices and offerings to me!
26 Of hebt ge Sakkoet, uw koning, En Kewan, uw sterrebeeld, rondgedragen, De goden, die ge u hebt gemaakt?
But they carried the two idols that they had made— the idols of Succoth, the god [that they considered to be] their king, and Kaiwan, [the image of the] star [that they worshiped].
27 Ik voer u weg, verder nog dan Damascus, Spreekt Jahweh: God der heirscharen is zijn Naam!
Therefore, now I will force you to go to [a country that is] far beyond Damascus! [That will surely happen because] I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it!”
