Amos 5

1 Hear this word, a lamentation, which I take up against 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 arise: 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, for 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 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.

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 devour [it], and there be none to quench [it] in Bethel.

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 judgment to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

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

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

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 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 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.

13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in this 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, shall 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 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.

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.

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.

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! To what end is the day of Jehovah for you? It shall be 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 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 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 not smell [a sweet odour] in your solemn assemblies.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

25 Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and oblations 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 took up the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye had 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 and I will 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.