< Amos 5 >
1 Here ye this word, for Y reise on you a weilyng.
Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lamentation I take up against you:
2 The hous of Israel felle doun, he schal not put to, that it rise ayen; the virgyn of Israel is cast doun in to hir lond, noon is that schal reise hir.
“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her up.”
3 For the Lord God seith these thingis, The citee of which a thousynde wenten out, an hundrid schulen be left ther ynne; and of which an hundrid wenten out, ten schulen be left ther ynne, in the hous of Israel.
This is what the Lord GOD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong will only see a hundred return, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”
4 For the Lord seith these thingis to the hous of Israel, Seke ye me, and ye schulen lyue;
For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live!
5 and nyle ye seke Bethel, and nyle ye entre in to Galgala, and ye schulen not passe to Bersabee; for whi Galgal schal be led caitif, and Bethel schal be vnprofitable.
Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Seke ye the Lord, and lyue ye, lest perauenture the hous of Joseph be brent as fier; and it schal deuoure Bethel, and there schal not be, that schal quenche.
Seek the LORD and live, or He will sweep like fire through the house of Joseph; it will devour everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
7 Whiche conuerten doom in to wermod, and forsaken riytwisnesse in the lond,
There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.
8 and forsaken hym that makith Arture and Orion, and hym that turneth derknessis in to the morewtid, and him that chaungith dai in to niyt; which clepith watris of the see, and heldith out hem on the face of erthe; the Lord is name of hym.
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth— the LORD is His name—
9 Which scorneth distriyng on the stronge, and bringith robbyng on the myyti.
He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the stronghold.
10 Thei hatiden a man repreuynge in the yate, and thei wlatiden a man spekynge perfitli.
There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therfor for that that ye robbiden a pore man, and token fro hym the chosun prey, ye schulen bilde housis with square stoon, and ye schulen not dwelle in hem; ye schulen plaunte moost louyd vyneyerdis, and ye schulen not drynke the wyn of hem.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.
12 For Y knew youre grete trespassis many, and youre stronge synnes; enemyes of `the riytwis man, takynge yifte, and berynge doun pore men in the yate.
For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
13 Therfor a prudent man schal be stille in that time, for the time is yuel.
Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.
14 Seke ye good, and not yuel, that ye lyue, and the Lord God of oostis schal be with you, as ye seiden.
Seek good, not evil, so that you may live. And the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.
15 Hate ye yuel, and loue ye good, and ordeyne ye in the gate doom; if perauenture the Lord God of oostis haue merci on the remenauntis of Joseph.
Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
16 Therfor the Lord God of oostis, hauynge lordschipe, seith these thingis, Weilyng schal be in alle stretis, and in alle thingis that ben withoutforth it schal be seid, Wo! wo! and thei schulen clepe an erthe tilier to mourenyng, and hem that kunnen weile, to weilyng.
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail.
17 And weilyng schal be in alle weies, for Y schal passe forth in the myddil of `the see, seith the Lord.
There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,”
18 Wo to hem that desiren the dai of the Lord; wher to desiren ye it to you? This dai of the Lord schal be derknessis, and not liyt.
Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
19 As if a man renne fro the face of a lioun, and a bere renne to hym; and he entre in to the hous, and lene with his hond on the wal, and a serpent dwellynge in schadewe bite hym.
It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.
20 Whether the dai of the Lord schal not be derknessis, and not liyt; and myist, and not schynyng ther ynne?
Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 Y hatide and castide awei youre feeste daies, and Y schal not take the odour of youre cumpenyes.
“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
22 That if ye offren to me youre brent sacrifices, and yiftis, Y schal not resseyue, and Y schal not biholde avowis of youre fatte thingis.
Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard.
23 Do thou awei fro me the noise of thi songis, and Y schal not here the songis of thin harpe.
Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 And doom schal be schewid as watir, and riytfulnesse as a strong streem.
But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 Whether ye, the hous of Israel, offriden to me sacrifices for enemyes to be ouercomun, and sacrifice in desert fourti yeeris?
Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
26 And ye han bore tabernaclis to Moloch, youre god, and ymage of youre idols, the sterre of youre god, which ye maden to you.
You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you made for yourselves.
27 And Y schal make you for to passe ouer Damask, seide the Lord; God of oostis is the name of him.
Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Hosts.