Amos 5

1 Hear these words, which I utter concerning you; This lamentation, O house of Israel!

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

2 She is fallen, she shall rise no more, The virgin of Israel! She is prostrate on her own ground, there is none to raise her up!

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

3 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah; The city which sent out a thousand shall have a hundred left, And that which sent out a hundred shall have ten left, To the house of Israel.

For thus saith 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.

4 For thus saith Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live!

For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

5 Seek not Bethel, And go not to Gilgal, And pass not over to Beersheba! For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity! And Bethel shall come to naught.

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.

6 Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live! Lest he rush like a fire on the house of Joseph, And it devour, and there be none to quench it in the house of Israel.

Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and [there be] none to quench [it] in Beth-el.

7 Ye who turn justice into wormwood, And cast righteousness down to the ground.

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

8 Seek him, that made the Pleiades and Orion; That changeth death-like darkness into morning, And darkeneth day into night; That calleth up the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth; Jehovah is his name!

[Seek him] that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD [is] his name:

9 Who sendeth sudden destruction upon the strong, And bringeth desolation upon the fortress.

That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

10 They hate him that pleadeth in the gate, And abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

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

11 Since, then, ye trample upon the poor, And take from him presents of wheat, Though ye build houses of hewn stone, ye shall not dwell in them; Though ye plant pleasant vineyards, ye shall not drink their wine.

Forasmuch therefore as your treading [is] upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens 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 of them.

12 For I know that your sins are many, And your transgressions manifold, Ye who afflict the righteous, and take a bribe, And oppress the poor in the gate!

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].

13 Therefore the wise man shall be silent at that time, For it shall be an evil time.

Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it [is] an evil time.

14 Seek ye good, and not evil, that ye may live; Then shall Jehovah, the God of hosts, be with you, as ye boast.

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

15 Hate ye evil, and love good, And establish justice in the gate; It may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will have pity upon the remnant of Joseph.

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 unto the remnant of Joseph.

16 Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the streets shall there be wailing, And in all the highways shall they cry, Alas! alas! They shall call the husbandmen to mourning, And those who are skilful in lamentation to wailing,

Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing [shall be] in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

17 And in all vineyards shall be sounds of woe, For I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

And in all vineyards [shall be] wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

18 Woe unto them that ask for the day of Jehovah! What is the day of Jehovah to you? It shall be darkness, and not light.

Woe unto 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.

19 As if a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him; Or went into a house and leaned his hand on a wall, And a serpent bit him;

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.

20 So shall the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light, Even thick darkness, and no brightness in it.

[Shall] not the day of the LORD [be] darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts; I have no delight in your solemn assemblies.

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

22 When ye offer me burnt-offerings and flour-offerings, I will not accept them; And upon the thank-offerings of your fatlings I will not look.

Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept [them: ] neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

23 Take ye away from me the noise of your songs, And the music of your harps let me not hear!

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

24 Let justice flow forth as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream!

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

25 Did ye offer me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness, for forty years, O house of Israel?

Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26 But ye bore the tabernacle of your king, And the shrine of your images, The star of your god, which ye made for yourselves.

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

27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, Saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts!

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