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, am taking up concerning you—even a dirge, O house of Israel.

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.

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 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 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 unto the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live;

For, thus, saith Yahweh, to the house of Israel, —Seek me, and 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 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.

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 doth keep silence in such a 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 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 right and not wrong, that ye nay live, —that, so, Yahweh God of hosts, may be with you, as ye 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 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 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 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 shall be lamentation; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

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

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.

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 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 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? Even very dark, 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, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

25 Did ye bring unto Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness 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 So shall ye take up Siccuth your king and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye 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 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith He, whose name is the LORD God of hosts.

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