Amos 5

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

Hear these words, which I utter concerning you; This lamentation, 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.”

She is fallen, she shall rise no more, The virgin of Israel! She is prostrate on her own ground, there is none to raise her up!

3 For the Lord GOD says: “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.”

For thus saith the Lord Jehovah; The city which sent out a thousand shall have a hundred left, And that which sent out a hundred shall have ten left, To the house of Israel.

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

For thus saith Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live!

5 but do not seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and do not pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

Seek not Bethel, And go not to Gilgal, And pass not over to Beersheba! For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity! And Bethel shall come to naught.

6 Seek the LORD, 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.

Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live! Lest he rush like a fire on the house of Joseph, And it devour, and there be none to quench it in the house of Israel.

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

Ye who turn justice into wormwood, And cast righteousness down to the ground.

8 Seek 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, the LORD is his name,

Seek him, that made the Pleiades and Orion; That changeth death-like darkness into morning, And darkeneth day into night; That calleth up the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth; Jehovah is his name!

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

Who sendeth sudden destruction upon the strong, And bringeth desolation upon the fortress.

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

They hate him that pleadeth in the gate, And abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

11 Therefore, 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.

Since, then, ye trample upon the poor, And take from him presents of wheat, Though ye build houses of hewn stone, ye shall not dwell in them; Though ye plant pleasant vineyards, ye shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many are 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.

For I know that your sins are many, And your transgressions manifold, Ye who afflict the righteous, and take a bribe, And oppress the poor in the gate!

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

Therefore the wise man shall be silent at that time, For it shall be an evil time.

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

Seek ye good, and not evil, that ye may live; Then shall Jehovah, the God of hosts, be with you, as ye boast.

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

Hate ye evil, and love good, And establish justice in the gate; It may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will have pity upon the remnant of Joseph.

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

Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the streets shall there be wailing, And in all the highways shall they cry, Alas! alas! They shall call the husbandmen to mourning, And those who are skilful in lamentation to wailing,

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

And in all vineyards shall be sounds of woe, For I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

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

Woe unto them that ask for the day of Jehovah! What is the day of Jehovah to you? It shall be darkness, and not light.

19 As 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.

As if a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him; Or went into a house and leaned his hand on a wall, And a serpent bit him;

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

So shall the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light, Even thick darkness, and no brightness in it.

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I cannot stand your solemn assemblies.

I hate, I despise your feasts; I have no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 Yes, 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.

When ye offer me burnt-offerings and flour-offerings, I will not accept them; And upon the thank-offerings of your fatlings I will not look.

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

Take ye away from me the noise of your songs, And the music of your harps let me not hear!

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

Let justice flow forth as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream!

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

Did ye offer me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness, for forty years, O house of Israel?

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

But ye bore the tabernacle of your king, And the shrine of your images, The star of your god, which ye made for yourselves.

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

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