Amos 5

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

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

2 The virgin Israel has fallen; she will rise no more; she is forsaken on her land; there is no one to raise her up.

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.

3 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.”

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.

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

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

5 Do not seek Bethel; nor enter Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into captivity, and Bethel will become nothing.

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 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.

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 —

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

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

8 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!

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;

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

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

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

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

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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.

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

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

14 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.

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

15 Hate evil, love good, establish justice in the city gate. Perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

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.

16 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.

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.

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

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

18 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,

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.

19 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.

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.

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

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 festivals, I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

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

22 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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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