Amos 5

1 Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:

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.

2 The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise; she is cast down upon her land, there is none to raise her up.

The virgin of Israel is cast down upon her land, there is none to raise her up.

3 For thus saith the Lord GOD: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, of the house of Israel.

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.

4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live;

For thus saith the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and you shall live.

5 But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought.

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.

6 Seek the LORD, and live — lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Bethel —

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.

7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and cast righteousness to the ground;

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

8 Him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion, and bringeth on the shadow of death in the morning, and darkeneth the day into night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth; the LORD is His name;

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.

9 That causeth destruction to flash upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.

He that with a smile bringeth destruction upon the strong, and waste upon the mighty.

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

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

11 Therefore, because ye trample upon the poor, and take from him exactions of wheat; ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them, ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine thereof.

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.

12 For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins; ye that afflict the just, that take a ransom, and that turn aside the needy in the gate.

Because I know your manifold crimes, and your grievous sins: enemies of the just, taking bribes, and oppressing the poor in the gate.

13 Therefore the prudent doth keep silence in such a time; for it is an evil time.

Therefore the prudent shall keep silence at that time, for it is an evil time.

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

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.

15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

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.

16 Therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: Lamentation shall be in all the broad places, and they shall say in all the streets: 'Alas! alas!' and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and proclaim lamentation to such as are skilful of wailing.

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.

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

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

18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! Wherefore would ye have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light.

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.

19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; and 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: or enter into the house, and lean with his hand upon the wall, and a serpent should bite him.

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

Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light: and obscurity, and no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

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

22 Yea, though ye offer me burnt-offerings and your meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

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

23 Take thou away from Me the noise of thy songs; and let Me not hear the melody of thy psalteries.

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

24 But let justice well up as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

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

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

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

26 So shall ye take up Siccuth your king and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

But you carried a tabernacle for your Moloch, and the image of your idols, the star of your god, which you made to yourselves.

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

And I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, the God of hosts is his name.