Amos 5

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

Listen to the words of the funeral song I am singing for you, 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.

Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel! Hurled down upon her own soil she lies, with no one to lift 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.

For the Lord God says this: The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers has only a hundred left, and the one that marches out with a hundred has only ten left.

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

For the Lord says this to Israel: Seek me and 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 do not seek Bethel, do not enter Gilgal, do not go over to Beer-sheba. For Gilgal will enter exile, and Bethel will go to destruction.

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 the Lord and live, or he will cast fire on the house of Joseph, and it will devour and there will be no one to quench it for Bethel.

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

You who turn judgment to bitter wormwood, and cast righteousness into the dirt:

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.

He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns deep darkness into dawn, who darkens day again into night, who summons the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the earth’s surface, the Lord is his name!

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

He causes destruction to burst over the strong. He brings devastation on the fortress.

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

You who hate the arbiters at the city gate, and abhor anyone who speaks the truth:

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.

Because you trample on the weak, and tax their grain, although you have built houses of hewn stone, you will not live in them, although you have planted charming vineyards, you will not drink their 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 know how many are your crimes, and how great are your sins! You persecutors of the righteous, takers of bribes! You deny the poor their justice at the city gate.

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

It would be wise to keep quiet in such 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.

Seek good and not evil, that you may live, so the Lord, God of hosts, may be with you, as you have claimed he is.

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.

Hate evil and love good, establish justice at the city gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to a surviving 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 the Lord, the God of hosts, says: In all the public squares there will be wailing, in every street the sound of mourning. They will summon the farmers to mourning, and professional mourners to wailing.

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

In all vineyards there will be lamenting, when I pass through your midst, 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:

Fools who long for the day of the Lord! What does the day of the Lord mean to you? 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.

It is as when one flees from a lion, and is attacked by a bear, as when one reaches home, leans his hand on the wall, and a snake bites him.

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

Won’t the Lord’s day be darkness and not light, murky darkness without a ray of light in it?

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

I hate, I despise your feasts, I will not smell the savor of your festivals,

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.

I will not be pleased with your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, I will not accept the peace offerings of your fattened calves.

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

Spare me the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the melody of your lyres.

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

But let justice roll on as a flood of waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.

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

Was it only sacrifices and grain offerings you brought me during the forty years in the wilderness, 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;

But now you will lift up your “king” Sikkuth and “star god” Kiyyun, your idols which you have made for yourselves,

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

as I drive you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.