Amos 5
1 Heare ye this worde, which I lift vp vpon you, euen a lamentation of the house of Israel.
Hear this word that I take up as a lament over you, 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 Israel has fallen; she will rise no more; she is forsaken 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 this is what the Lord Yahweh says: “The city that went out with a thousand will have a hundred left, and the one that went out with a hundred will have ten left belonging to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus saith the Lord vnto the house of Israel, Seeke ye me, and ye shall liue.
For this is what Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me and 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.
Do not seek Bethel; nor enter Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into captivity, and Bethel will become 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 Yahweh and live, or he will break out like fire in the house of Joseph. It will devour, and there will be no one to quench it in Bethel.
7 They turne iudgement to wormewood, and leaue off righteousnes in the earth.
Those people turn justice into a bitter thing and throw righteousness down to the ground!”
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.
God made the Pleiades and Orion; he turns darkness into the morning; he makes the day dark with night and calls for the waters of the sea; he pours them out on the surface of the earth. Yahweh is his name!
9 He strengtheneth the destroyer against the mightie: and the destroyer shall come against the fortresse.
He brings sudden destruction on the strong so that destruction comes on the fortresses.
10 They haue hated him, that rebuked in the gate: and they abhorred him that speaketh vprightly.
They hate anyone who corrects them in the city gate, and they abhor anyone who speaks the truth.
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.
Because you trample down the poor and take portions of wheat from him— although you have built houses of worked stone, you will not live in them. You have delightful vineyards, but you will 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, take bribes, and turn aside the needy in the city gate.
13 Therefore the prudent shall keepe silence in that time, for it is an euill time.
Therefore any prudent person is silent at 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, so that you may live. So Yahweh, the God of hosts, will really be with you, as you say he is.
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, establish justice in the city gate. Perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, 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, this is what Yahweh says, the God of hosts, the Lord, “Wailing will be in all the squares, and they will say in all the streets, 'Woe! Woe!' They will call the farmers to mourning and the mourners to wail.
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 your midst,” says Yahweh.
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 Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It will be 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 when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or he goes in a house and puts his hand on the wall and a snake bites 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 Yahweh be darkness and not light? Gloom and no brightness?
21 I hate and abhorre your feast dayes, and I wil not smelll in your solemne assemblies.
“I hate, I despise your festivals, I take no delight in 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.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened animals.
23 Take thou away from me the multitude of thy songs (for I wil not heare the melodie of thy violes)
Remove from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the sound of your harps.
24 And let iudgement runne downe as waters, and righteousnesse as a mightie riuer.
Instead, let justice flow like water, and righteousness like a constantly flowing stream.
25 Haue ye offered vnto me sacrifices and offrings in the wildernesse fourtie yeeres, O house of Israel?
Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness for 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 have lifted up the images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kaiwan, your star 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 exile you beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of hosts.
