Amos 5

1 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.

Hear ye this word, which, I, am taking up concerning you—even a dirge, O house of Israel.

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

She hath fallen—she cannot again rise, the virgin, Israel, —she lieth forsaken on her soil, there is none to raise her up.

3 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.

For, thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, The city that goeth out a thousand strong, shall have left it a hundred, —And, that which goeth out a hundred strong, shall have left it ten, belonging to the house of Israel.

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

For, thus, saith Yahweh, to the house of Israel, —Seek me, and live;

5 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.

Then do not seek Bethel, and, Gilgal, shall ye not enter, and, unto Beer-sheba, shall ye not cross over, For, Gilgal, shall, surely go into exile, and, Bethel, shall become a trouble.

6 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.

Seek ye Yahweh, and live, —lest he break forth, like a fire, upon the house of Joseph, and it devour with none to quench it, for Bethel.

7 [It is he] that executes judgement in the height [above], and he has established justice on the earth:

Ye who turn, into, wormwood, justice, and, righteousness—to the ground have let fall.

8 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:

[Seek him] who made the Cluster and the Giant, and turneth, into morning, the shadow of death, and who, day into night, doth darken, Him who calleth to the waters of the sea, and poureth them out on the face of the land, Yahweh, is his name:

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

Him who flasheth force on the strong, —and, force, on the fortress, alighteth!

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

They hate the man who, in the gate, rebuketh, —and, him who speaketh truthfully, they abhor.

11 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.

Therefore—because ye have trampled on the poor, and, the gift of corn, ye would take away from him, though, houses of hewn stone, ye have built, Yet shall ye not dwell in them, —Though, delightful vineyards, ye have planted, Yet shall ye not drink the wine of them.

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

For I know how numerous are your transgressions, and how surpassing your sins, —ye adversaries of the righteous! ye acceptors of a bribe! Even the needy in the gate, have they turned away!

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

Therefore, the prudent man, at that time, will be dumb, —Because an evil time, it is!

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

Seek ye right and not wrong, that ye nay live, —that, so, Yahweh God of hosts, may be with you, as ye have said.

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

Hate wrong, and love right, and station, Justice, in the gate, —Peradventure, Yahweh, God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

16 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.

Therefore, thus, saith Yahweh, God of hosts, My Lord, In all broadways, shall be lamentation, and, in all streets, shall they say, Alas! Alas! And they shall call the husbandman unto the mourning, and, unto the lamentation, them who know a wailing song;

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

Ye, in all vineyards, lamentation, —For I will pass along through thy midst, saith Yahweh.

18 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.

Alas for them who are longing for the day of Yahweh, —What good to you, is the day of Yahweh? it, being darkness and not light:

19 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.

As if a man should flee from the face of a lion, and there should meet him—a bear! or he should have entered the house, and leaned his hand upon the wall, and there should bite him—a serpent!

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

Shall not the day of Yahweh be, darkness, and not light? yea, thick darkness and no brightness in it?

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

I hate, I despise your festivals, —and can scent no fragrance in your solemn feasts.

22 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.

Nay, though ye cause to ascend unto me ascending-sacrifices, and your meal-offerings, I will not accept [them], —nor, the peace-offering of your fat heifers, will I regard.

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

Take thou away from me, the noise of thy songs, —Even the melody of thy harps, will I not hear.

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

But let, justice, roll along like water, —and, righteousness, as a torrent over flowing.

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

The sacrifices and meal-offering, ye brought near unto me, in the desert, for forty years O house of Israel;

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

But ye carried the tent of your king-idol, and your Saturn-images, —the star of your gods, which ye made for yourselves:

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

Therefore will I carry you into exile beyond Damascus, —saith Yahweh, God of hosts, is his name.