Amos 5

1 Heare ye this worde, which I lift vp vpon you, euen a lamentation of the house of Israel.

Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:

2 The virgine Israel is fallen, and shall no more rise: shee is left vpon her lande, and there is none to raise her vp.

“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”

3 For thus saith ye Lord God, The citie which went out by a thousand, shall leaue an hundreth: and that which went forth by an hundreth, shall leaue ten to the house of Israel.

For the Lord GOD says: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

4 For thus saith the Lord vnto the house of Israel, Seeke ye me, and ye shall liue.

For the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

5 But seeke not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and go not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall goe into captiuitie, and Beth-el shall come to nought.

but do not seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and do not pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

6 Seeke the Lord, and yee shall liue, least he breake out like fire in the house of Ioseph and deuoure it, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.

Seek the LORD, and you will live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

7 They turne iudgement to wormewood, and leaue off righteousnes in the earth.

You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!

8 He maketh Pleiades, and Orion, and he turneth the shadowe of death into the morning, and he maketh the day darke as night: he calleth the waters of the sea, and powreth them out vpon the open earth: the Lord is his Name.

Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name,

9 He strengtheneth the destroyer against the mightie: and the destroyer shall come against the fortresse.

who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.

10 They haue hated him, that rebuked in the gate: and they abhorred him that speaketh vprightly.

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

11 Forasmuch then as your treading is vpon the poore, and yee take from him burdens of wheate, ye haue built houses of hewen stone, but ye shall not dwel in them: ye haue plated pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drinke wine of them.

Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take taxes from him of wheat, you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know your manifold transgressions, and your mightie sinnes: they afflict the iust, they take rewards, and they oppresse the poore in ye gate.

For I know how many are your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.

13 Therefore the prudent shall keepe silence in that time, for it is an euill time.

Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seeke good and not euil, that ye may liue: and the Lord God of hostes shalbe with you, as you haue spoken.

Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.

15 Hate the euil, and loue the good, and establish iudgement in the gate: it may bee that the Lord God of hostes will be mercifull vnto the remnant of Ioseph.

Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that the LORD, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

16 Therfore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord saith thus, Mourning shalbe in all streetes: and they shall say in al the hie wayes, Alas, alas: and they shall call the husbandman to lamentation, and such as can mourne, to mourning.

Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.

17 And in al the vines shalbe lamentation: for I wil passe through thee, saith the Lord.

In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through the middle of you,” says the LORD.

18 Woe vnto you, that desire the day of the Lord: what haue you to do with it? the day of the Lord is darkenes and not light.

“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light.

19 As if a man did flee from a lyon, and a beare met him: or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

20 Shal not the day of the Lord be darkenes, and not light? euen darkenes and no light in it?

Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21 I hate and abhorre your feast dayes, and I wil not smelll in your solemne assemblies.

I hate, I despise your feasts, and I cannot stand your solemn assemblies.

22 Though ye offer me burnt offrings and meat offrings, I wil not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offrings of your fat beasts.

Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

23 Take thou away from me the multitude of thy songs (for I wil not heare the melodie of thy violes)

Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24 And let iudgement runne downe as waters, and righteousnesse as a mightie riuer.

But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

25 Haue ye offered vnto me sacrifices and offrings in the wildernesse fourtie yeeres, O house of Israel?

“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

26 But you haue borne Siccuth your King, and Chiun your images, and the starre of your gods, which ye made to your selues.

You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

27 Therefore wil I cause you to goe into captiuitie beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose Name is the God of hostes.

Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Armies.