Ἀμώςʹ 5
1 ἀκούσατε τὸν λόγον κυρίου τοῦτον ὃν ἐγὼ λαμβάνω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς θρῆνον οἶκος Ισραηλ
You people [MTY] of Israel, listen to this funeral song that I will sing about you:
2 ἔπεσεν οὐκέτι μὴ προσθῇ τοῦ ἀναστῆναι παρθένος τοῦ Ισραηλ ἔσφαλεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῆς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀναστήσων αὐτήν
“You are like [MET] a young woman, but in spite of that, you will certainly be struck down and you will never get up again! You will lie on the ground, abandoned, and there will be no one to help you stand up.”
3 διότι τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἡ πόλις ἐξ ἧς ἐξεπορεύοντο χίλιοι ὑπολειφθήσονται ἑκατόν καὶ ἐξ ἧς ἐξεπορεύοντο ἑκατόν ὑπολειφθήσονται δέκα τῷ οἴκῳ Ισραηλ
This is what Yahweh the Lord says to the people [MTY] of Israel: [“When your enemies attack you, ] and when 1,000 [of your soldiers] will go [to a battle], there will be only 100 who will survive. When 100 soldiers march out [from a city to fight], there will be only ten who will remain alive.”
4 διότι τάδε λέγει κύριος πρὸς τὸν οἶκον Ισραηλ ἐκζητήσατέ με καὶ ζήσεσθε
Yahweh continues to say to the people [MTY] of Israel: “You Israeli people, return to me! If you do that, you will continue to remain alive.
5 καὶ μὴ ἐκζητεῖτε Βαιθηλ καὶ εἰς Γαλγαλα μὴ εἰσπορεύεσθε καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου μὴ διαβαίνετε ὅτι Γαλγαλα αἰχμαλωτευομένη αἰχμαλωτευθήσεται καὶ Βαιθηλ ἔσται ὡς οὐχ ὑπάρχουσα
Do not go to Bethel to seek [my help]; do not go to Gilgal [to worship]; do not [even] go to Beersheba, because [your enemies] will drag away [the people of] Gilgal to other countries, and Bethel will be completely destroyed.”
6 ἐκζητήσατε τὸν κύριον καὶ ζήσατε ὅπως μὴ ἀναλάμψῃ ὡς πῦρ ὁ οἶκος Ιωσηφ καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτόν καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων τῷ οἴκῳ Ισραηλ
So, come to Yahweh; if you do that, you will remain alive. If you do not do that, Yahweh will descend on you descendants [MTY] of Joseph like [SIM] a fire; that fire will burn everything in Bethel, and (nothing/no one) will be able to save that town.
7 κύριος ὁ ποιῶν εἰς ὕψος κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην εἰς γῆν ἔθηκεν
You people distort what is fair/right and cause [people to think that] it is something that is very bitter; you treat good things as though they are evil.
8 ποιῶν πάντα καὶ μετασκευάζων καὶ ἐκτρέπων εἰς τὸ πρωὶ σκιὰν θανάτου καὶ ἡμέραν εἰς νύκτα συσκοτάζων ὁ προσκαλούμενος τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐκχέων αὐτὸ ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ
[Do you know who] created all the groups of stars and put them in their places? [Each morning] he causes the darkness to become the dawn, and [each evening] he causes the daylight to become darkness. He scoops up water from the oceans [to become clouds], and then he dumps the water [from the clouds] onto the earth. The one who does those things is named Yahweh.
9 ὁ διαιρῶν συντριμμὸν ἐπ’ ἰσχὺν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπὶ ὀχύρωμα ἐπάγων
He causes strong [soldiers] to be killed, and causes the (high walls around/fortresses of) cities to be torn down.
10 ἐμίσησαν ἐν πύλαις ἐλέγχοντα καὶ λόγον ὅσιον ἐβδελύξαντο
[He is the one who will punish you] because you hate those who challenge anyone who tries to make unjust decisions, and you hate those who tell the truth in your courts.
11 διὰ τοῦτο ἀνθ’ ὧν κατεκονδυλίζετε πτωχοὺς καὶ δῶρα ἐκλεκτὰ ἐδέξασθε παρ’ αὐτῶν οἴκους ξυστοὺς ᾠκοδομήσατε καὶ οὐ μὴ κατοικήσητε ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀμπελῶνας ἐπιθυμητοὺς ἐφυτεύσατε καὶ οὐ μὴ πίητε τὸν οἶνον ἐξ αὐτῶν
You oppress poor people and force them to pay big taxes. You have built big stone mansions [for yourselves], but you will not be able to live in them. You have planted vineyards, but there will not be any [grapes for you to harvest to make] wine.
12 ὅτι ἔγνων πολλὰς ἀσεβείας ὑμῶν καὶ ἰσχυραὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν καταπατοῦντες δίκαιον λαμβάνοντες ἀλλάγματα καὶ πένητας ἐν πύλαις ἐκκλίνοντες
I know all of your sins and the terrible crimes that you have committed. You oppress righteous/honest people, and you accept bribes. You do not allow judges to treat poor people justly.
13 διὰ τοῦτο ὁ συνίων ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ σιωπήσεται ὅτι καιρὸς πονηρός ἐστιν
This is a time when [many people do] evil things, so people who have good sense say nothing [when they hear about such things being done].
14 ἐκζητήσατε τὸ καλὸν καὶ μὴ τὸ πονηρόν ὅπως ζήσητε καὶ ἔσται οὕτως μεθ’ ὑμῶν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὃν τρόπον εἴπατε
In order to remain alive, you must stop doing what is wrong, and start doing what is right. If you do that, the Commander of the armies of angels will be with you like you claim [that he always is].
15 μεμισήκαμεν τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ ἠγαπήκαμεν τὰ καλά καὶ ἀποκαταστήσατε ἐν πύλαις κρίμα ὅπως ἐλεήσῃ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ τοὺς περιλοίπους τοῦ Ιωσηφ
Love what is good, and hate what is evil! Try to cause [judges] in your courts to make decisions that are right/fair! If you do those things, perhaps the Commander of the armies of angels will act mercifully toward [you descendants of] Joseph who are still alive.
16 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ἐν πάσαις πλατείαις κοπετός καὶ ἐν πάσαις ὁδοῖς ῥηθήσεται οὐαὶ οὐαί κληθήσεται γεωργὸς εἰς πένθος καὶ κοπετὸν καὶ εἰς εἰδότας θρῆνον
“Because I, Yahweh, [will punish you for your sins], this is what I have solemnly declared: People will be wailing loudly in every street, and people will be very sorrowful in every plaza. Farmers will be summoned to [come and] weep, along with the other official mourners who will wail [for those who have died].
17 καὶ ἐν πάσαις ὁδοῖς κοπετός διότι διελεύσομαι διὰ μέσου σου εἶπεν κύριος
People will be wailing in your vineyards, because I will punish you [IDM] severely. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it!”
18 οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπιθυμοῦντες τὴν ἡμέραν κυρίου ἵνα τί αὕτη ὑμῖν ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου καὶ αὐτή ἐστιν σκότος καὶ οὐ φῶς
Terrible things will happen to you who desire that it will soon be the day when Yahweh [will punish your enemies], because that will be a day of darkness, not of light.
19 ὃν τρόπον ὅταν φύγῃ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λέοντος καὶ ἐμπέσῃ αὐτῷ ἡ ἄρκος καὶ εἰσπηδήσῃ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπερείσηται τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον καὶ δάκῃ αὐτὸν ὁ ὄφις
[At that time, ] when you try to run from a lion, you will face a bear. When you run into your house [to be safe], and you put your hand on a wall, it will be bitten by a snake.
20 οὐχὶ σκότος ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου καὶ οὐ φῶς καὶ γνόφος οὐκ ἔχων φέγγος αὐτῇ
That day, [when he punishes people], will certainly be [RHQ] a very dark day [MET], without even a little bit of light.
21 μεμίσηκα ἀπῶσμαι ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν καὶ οὐ μὴ ὀσφρανθῶ ἐν ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν ὑμῶν
[Yahweh says], “I hate your religious celebrations and the times when you gather to worship me; I detest them [DOU].
22 διότι καὶ ἐὰν ἐνέγκητέ μοι ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας ὑμῶν οὐ προσδέξομαι αὐτά καὶ σωτηρίου ἐπιφανείας ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐπιβλέψομαι
Even if you bring me offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar] and offerings of grain, I will no longer accept them. Even if you bring me offerings to renew/maintain fellowship with me, I will not pay any attention to them.
23 μετάστησον ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ἦχον ᾠδῶν σου καὶ ψαλμὸν ὀργάνων σου οὐκ ἀκούσομαι
So, stop singing noisy/loud songs! I will not listen when you play harps.
24 καὶ κυλισθήσεται ὡς ὕδωρ κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνη ὡς χειμάρρους ἄβατος
Instead, your continually acting justly/fairly and righteously should be [never stop, ] like [SIM] [the water in] a river that never stops flowing.
25 μὴ σφάγια καὶ θυσίας προσηνέγκατέ μοι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη οἶκος Ισραηλ
You Israeli people [MTY], your [ancestors] wandered through the desert for 40 years; and during that time, they never brought any sacrifices and offerings to me!
26 καὶ ἀνελάβετε τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Μολοχ καὶ τὸ ἄστρον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν Ραιφαν τοὺς τύπους αὐτῶν οὓς ἐποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς
But they carried the two idols that they had made— the idols of Succoth, the god [that they considered to be] their king, and Kaiwan, [the image of the] star [that they worshiped].
27 καὶ μετοικιῶ ὑμᾶς ἐπέκεινα Δαμασκοῦ λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ
Therefore, now I will force you to go to [a country that is] far beyond Damascus! [That will surely happen because] I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it!”
