Amos 5

1 Hear this word that I am bearing to you, A lamentation, O house of Israel:

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

2 'Fallen, not again to rise, hath the virgin of Israel, Left on her land — she hath no raiser 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 thus said the Lord Jehovah: The city that is going out a thousand, Doth leave an hundred, And that which is going out an hundred, Doth leave ten to the house of Israel.

For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, to the house of Israel.

4 For thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,

For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;

5 And seek not Beth-El, and Gilgal enter not, And Beer-Sheba pass not through, For Gilgal doth utterly remove, And Beth-El doth become vanity.

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 ye Jehovah, and live, Lest He prosper as fire [against] the house of Joseph, And it hath consumed, And there is no quencher for Beth-El.

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

7 Ye who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,

Ye who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

8 The maker of Kimah and Kesil, And the turner to morning of death-shade, And day [as] night He hath made dark, Who is calling to the waters of the sea, And poureth them on the face of the earth, Jehovah [is] His name;

[seek him] that maketh the Pleiades 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 (Jehovah is his name);

9 Who is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, And the spoiled against a fortress cometh.

that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.

10 They have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.

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

11 Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor, And the tribute of corn ye take from him, Houses of hewn work ye have built, And ye do not dwell in them, Desirable vineyards ye have planted, And ye do not drink their wine.

Forasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions from him 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 the wine thereof.

12 For I have known — many [are] your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins—ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate [from their right].

13 Therefore is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it [is].

Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time; for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, [is] with you, as ye said.

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

15 Hate evil, and love good, And set up judgment in the gate, It may be Jehovah, God of Hosts, doth pity the remnant of Joseph.

Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Lord, In all broad places [is] lamentation, And in all out-places they say, 'Alas, alas,' And called the husbandman to mourning, And to lamentation the skilful of wailing.

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

17 And in all vineyards [is] lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah.

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

18 Ho, ye who are desiring the day of Jehovah, Why [is] this to you — the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light,

Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light.

19 As [when] one fleeth from the face of the lion, And the bear hath met him, And he hath come in to the house, And hath leant his hand on the wall, And the serpent hath bitten 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 Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, Even thick darkness that hath no brightness?

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

21 I have hated — I have loathed your festivals, And I am not refreshed by your restraints.

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

22 For though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not.

Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.

23 Turn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.

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

24 And roll on as waters doth judgment, And righteousness as a perennial stream.

But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

25 Sacrifices and offering did ye bring nigh to Me, In a wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

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

26 And ye bare Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, The star of your god, that ye made for yourselves.

Yea, ye have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

27 And I removed you beyond Damascus, Said Jehovah, God of Hosts [is] His name.

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