Amos 5

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

Give ear to this word, my song of sorrow over you, O children of Israel.

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

The virgin of Israel has been made low, never again to be lifted up: she is stretched out by herself on her land; there is no one to put her on her feet again.

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, for the house of Israel.

For these are the words of the Lord God: The town which was able to send out a thousand, will have only a hundred; and that which sent out a hundred, will have only ten, in Israel.

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

For these are the words of the Lord to the children of Israel: Let your hearts be turned to me, so that you may have life:

5 And seek not Bethel, neither go to Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

Do not be looking for help to Beth-el, and do not go to Gilgal, or make your way to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal will certainly be taken prisoner, and Beth-el will come to nothing.

6 Seek Jehovah, 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.

Go to the Lord for help so that you may have life; for fear that he may come like fire bursting out in the family of Joseph, causing destruction, and there will be no one to put it out in Beth-el.

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

You who make the work of judging a bitter thing, crushing down righteousness to the earth;

8 [seek him] that made 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.

Go for help to him who makes Orion and the Pleiades, by whom the deep dark is turned into morning, who makes the day black with night; whose voice goes out to the waters of the sea, sending them out over the face of the earth: the Lord is his name;

9 He causeth destruction to break forth suddenly upon the strong, and bringeth destruction upon the fortress.

Who sends sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the walled town.

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

They have hate for him who makes protest against evil in the public place, and he whose words are upright is disgusting to them.

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

So because the poor man is crushed under your feet, and you take taxes from him of grain: you have made for yourselves houses of cut stone, but you will not take your rest in them; the fair vine-gardens planted by your hands will not give you wine.

12 For I know how manifold are your transgressions and your sins mighty: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside [the right of] the needy in the gate.

For I have seen how your evil-doing is increased and how strong are your sins, you troublers of the upright, who take rewards and do wrong to the cause of the poor in the public place.

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

So the wise will say nothing in that time; for it is an evil time.

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

Go after good and not evil, so that life may be yours: and so the Lord, the God of armies, will be with you, as you say.

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

Be haters of evil and lovers of good, and let right be done in the public place: it may be that the Lord, the God of armies, will have mercy on the rest of Joseph.

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

So these are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the Lord: There will be weeping in all the open spaces; and in all the streets they will say, Sorrow! sorrow! and they will get in the farmer to the weeping, and the makers of sad songs to give cries of grief.

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

In all the vine-gardens there will be cries of grief: for I will go through among you, says the Lord.

18 Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! To what end is the day of Jehovah for you? It shall be darkness and not light:

Sorrow to you who are looking for the day of the Lord! what is the day of the Lord to you? it is dark and not light.

19 as if a man fled 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, running away from a lion, came face to face with a bear; or went into the house and put his hand on the wall and got a bite from a snake.

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

Will not the day of the Lord be dark and not light? even very dark, with no light shining in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell [a sweet odour] in your solemn assemblies.

Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.

22 For if ye offer up unto me burnt-offerings and your oblations, I will not accept [them]; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fatted beasts.

Even if you give me your burned offerings and your meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: I will have nothing to do with the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

23 Take away from me the noise of thy songs, and I will not hear the melody of thy lutes;

Take away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.

24 but let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream.

But let the right go rolling on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

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

Did you come to me with offerings of beasts and meal offerings in the waste land for forty years, O Israel?

26 Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye had made to yourselves;

Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

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

And I will send you away as prisoners farther than Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.