Amos 5

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

Hear you this word of the Lord, even a lamentation, which I take up against you. The house of Israel is fallen; it shall no more rise.

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

The virgin of Israel has fallen upon his land; there is none that shall raise her up.

3 For 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.

Therefore thus says the Lord God; The city out of which there went forth a thousand, [in it] there shall be left a hundred, and [in that] out of which there went forth a hundred, there shall be left ten to the house of Israel.

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

Therefore thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, Seek you me, and you shall live.

5 but 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.

But seek not Bethel, and go not into Galgala, and cross not over to the Well of the Oath: for Galgala shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall be as that which is not.

6 Seek 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.

Seek you the Lord, and you shall live; lest the house of Joseph blaze as fire, and it devour him, and there shall be none to quench it for the house of Israel.

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

[It is he] that executes judgment in the height [above], and he has established justice on 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);

who makes all things, and changes [them], and turns darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night: who calls for the water of the sea, and pours it out on the face of the earth: the Lord is his name:

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

who dispenses ruin to strength, and brings distress upon the fortress.

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

They hated him that reproved in the gates, and abhorred holy speech.

11 Forasmuch 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.

Therefore because they have struck the poor with their fists, and you have received of them choice gifts; you have built polished houses, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted desirable vineyards, but you shall not drink the wine of them.

12 For 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].

For I know your many transgressions, and your sins are great, trampling on the just, taking bribes, and turning aside [the judgment of] the poor in the gates.

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

Therefore the prudent shall be silent at that time; for it is a time of evils.

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

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live: and so the Lord God Almighty shall be with you, as you have said,

15 Hate 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.

We have hated evil, and loved good: and restore you judgment in the gates; that the Lord God Almighty may have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore 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.

Therefore thus says the Lord God Almighty; In all the streets [shall be] lamentations; and in all the ways shall it be said, Woe, woe! the husbandman shall be called to mourning and lamentation, and to them that are skilled in complaining.

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

And [there shall be] lamentation in all the ways; because I will pass through the midst of you, says the Lord.

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

Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord! what is this day of the Lord to you? whereas it is darkness, and not light.

19 As 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.

As if a man should flee from the face of a lion, and a bear should meet him; and he should spring into his house, and lean his hands upon the wall, and a serpent should bite him.

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

Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? and is not this [day] gloom without brightness?

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

I hate, I reject your feasts, and I will not smell [your] meat-offerings in your general assemblies.

22 Yea, 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.

Therefore if you should bring me your whole burnt sacrifices and meat-offerings, I will not accept [them]: neither will I have respect to your grand peace-offerings.

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

Remove from me the sound of your songs, and I will not hear the music of your instruments.

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

But let judgment roll down as water, and righteousness as an impassable torrent.

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

Have you offered to me victims and sacrifices, O house of Israel, forty years in the wilderness?

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

Yes, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Raephan, the images of them which you made for yourselves.

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

And I will carry you away beyond Damascus, says the Lord, the Almighty God is his name.