Amos 5

1 Hear you this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.

Hear this word that I take up as a lament over you, house of Israel.

2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken on her land; there is none to raise her up.

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 says the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave 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 says the LORD to the house of Israel, Seek you me, and you shall live:

For this is what Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live!

5 But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

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 Seek the LORD, and you shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

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 You who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

Those people turn justice into a bitter thing and throw righteousness down to the ground!”

8 Seek him that makes the seven stars and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night: that calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the 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 That strengthens the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

He brings sudden destruction on the strong so that destruction comes on the fortresses.

10 They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they abhor him that speaks uprightly.

They hate anyone who corrects them in the city gate, and they abhor anyone who speaks the truth.

11 For as much therefore as your treading is on the poor, and you take from him burdens of wheat: you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink 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 mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

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 keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.

Therefore any prudent person is silent at such a time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as you have 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 evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

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 Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD, says thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the farmer to mourning, and such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing.

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 all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through you, says the LORD.

In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says Yahweh.

18 Woe to you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, 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 lion, and a bear 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 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness and not light? Gloom and no brightness?

21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

“I hate, I despise your festivals, I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 Though you offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings 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 you away from me the noise of your songs; for I will not hear the melody of your viols.

Remove from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the sound of your harps.

24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Instead, let justice flow like water, and righteousness like a constantly flowing stream.

25 Have you offered to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

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

26 But you have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which you made to yourselves.

You have lifted up the images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kaiwan, your star god, which you made for yourselves.

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

Therefore I will exile you beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of hosts.