Amos 5

1 Hear ye this word, which I take up concerning you for a lamentation. The house of Israel is fallen, and it shall rise no more.

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

2 The virgin of Israel is cast down upon her land, there is none to 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 For thus saith the Lord God: The city, out of which came forth a thousand, there shall be left in it a hundred: and out of which there came a hundred, there shall be left in it ten, in 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 For thus saith the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek ye 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 Galgal, neither shall you pass over to Bersabee: for Galgal shall go into captivity, and Bethel shall be unprofitable.

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 ye the Lord, and live: lest the house of Joseph be burnt with fire, and it shall devour, and there shall be none to quench Bethel.

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 You that turn judgment into wormwood, and forsake justice in the land,

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

8 Seek him that maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and that turneth darkness into morning, and that changeth day into night: that calleth the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon 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 He that with a smile bringeth destruction upon the strong, and waste upon the mighty.

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

10 They have hated him that rebuketh in the gate: and have abhorred him that speaketh perfectly.

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

11 Therefore because you robbed the poor, and took the choice prey from him: you shall build houses with square stone, and shall not dwell in them: you shall plant most delightful vineyards, and 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 Because I know your manifold crimes, and your grievous sins: enemies of the just, taking bribes, and oppressing the poor in the gate.

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 keep silence at that time, for it is an evil time.

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

14 Seek ye good, and not evil, that you may live: and the Lord the God of hosts will 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 Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be the Lord the God of hosts 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 saith the Lord the God of hosts the sovereign Lord: In every street there shall be wailing: and in all places that are without, they shall say: Alas, alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skillful in lamentation to lament.

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 in all vineyards there shall be wailing: because I will pass through in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.

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

18 Woe to them that desire the day of the Lord: to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord 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: or enter into the house, and lean with his hand 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 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light: and obscurity, and no brightness in it?

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

21 I hate, and have rejected your festivities: and I will not receive the odour of your assemblies.

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

22 And if you offer me holocausts, and your gifts, I will not receive them: neither will I regard the vows of your fat beasts.

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 Take away from me the tumult of thy songs: and I will not hear the canticles of thy harp.

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

24 But judgment shall be revealed as water, and justice as a mighty torrent.

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

25 Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me in the desert for forty years, O house of Israel?

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

26 But you carried a tabernacle for your Moloch, and the image of your idols, the star of your god, which you made to 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 cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, the God of hosts is his name.

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