עמוס 5

1 שמעו את הדבר הזה אשר אנכי נשא עליכם קינה בית ישראל׃

You people [MTY] of Israel, listen to this funeral song that I will sing about you:

2 נפלה לא תוסיף קום בתולת ישראל נטשה על אדמתה אין מקימה׃

“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 כי כה אמר אדני יהוה העיר היצאת אלף תשאיר מאה והיוצאת מאה תשאיר עשרה לבית ישראל׃

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 כי כה אמר יהוה לבית ישראל דרשוני וחיו׃

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 ואל תדרשו בית אל והגלגל לא תבאו ובאר שבע לא תעברו כי הגלגל גלה יגלה ובית אל יהיה לאון׃

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 דרשו את יהוה וחיו פן יצלח כאש בית יוסף ואכלה ואין מכבה לבית אל׃

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 ההפכים ללענה משפט וצדקה לארץ הניחו׃

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 עשה כימה וכסיל והפך לבקר צלמות ויום לילה החשיך הקורא למי הים וישפכם על פני הארץ יהוה שמו׃

[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 המבליג שד על עז ושד על מבצר יבוא׃

He causes strong [soldiers] to be killed, and causes the (high walls around/fortresses of) cities to be torn down.

10 שנאו בשער מוכיח ודבר תמים יתעבו׃

[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 לכן יען בושסכם על דל ומשאת בר תקחו ממנו בתי גזית בניתם ולא תשבו בם כרמי חמד נטעתם ולא תשתו את יינם׃

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 כי ידעתי רבים פשעיכם ועצמים חטאתיכם צררי צדיק לקחי כפר ואביונים בשער הטו׃

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 לכן המשכיל בעת ההיא ידם כי עת רעה היא׃

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 דרשו טוב ואל רע למען תחיו ויהי כן יהוה אלהי צבאות אתכם כאשר אמרתם׃

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 שנאו רע ואהבו טוב והציגו בשער משפט אולי יחנן יהוה אלהי צבאות שארית יוסף׃

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 לכן כה אמר יהוה אלהי צבאות אדני בכל רחבות מספד ובכל חוצות יאמרו הו הו וקראו אכר אל אבל ומספד אל יודעי נהי׃

“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 ובכל כרמים מספד כי אעבר בקרבך אמר יהוה׃

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 הוי המתאוים את יום יהוה למה זה לכם יום יהוה הוא חשך ולא אור׃

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 כאשר ינוס איש מפני הארי ופגעו הדב ובא הבית וסמך ידו על הקיר ונשכו הנחש׃

[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 הלא חשך יום יהוה ולא אור ואפל ולא נגה לו׃

That day, [when he punishes people], will certainly be [RHQ] a very dark day [MET], without even a little bit of light.

21 שנאתי מאסתי חגיכם ולא אריח בעצרתיכם׃

[Yahweh says], “I hate your religious celebrations and the times when you gather to worship me; I detest them [DOU].

22 כי אם תעלו לי עלות ומנחתיכם לא ארצה ושלם מריאיכם לא אביט׃

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 הסר מעלי המון שריך וזמרת נבליך לא אשמע׃

So, stop singing noisy/loud songs! I will not listen when you play harps.

24 ויגל כמים משפט וצדקה כנחל איתן׃

Instead, your continually acting justly/fairly and righteously should be [never stop, ] like [SIM] [the water in] a river that never stops flowing.

25 הזבחים ומנחה הגשתם לי במדבר ארבעים שנה בית ישראל׃

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 ונשאתם את סכות מלככם ואת כיון צלמיכם כוכב אלהיכם אשר עשיתם לכם׃

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 והגליתי אתכם מהלאה לדמשק אמר יהוה אלהי צבאות שמו׃

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!”