Amos 5

1 Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.2 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 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 saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;5 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 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 turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,8 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 that bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.10 They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.11 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 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 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 so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say.15 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 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 shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.18 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 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 Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies.22 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 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.24 But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.25 Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?26 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 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.

Amos 5

Death is Imminent

1 Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you,t familyt of Israel:

2 “The virgint Israel has fallen down and will not get up again.
She is abandoned on her own land
with no one to help her get up.”t

3 The sovereign Lord says this:
“The city that marches out with a thousand soldierst will have only a hundred left;
the townt that marches out with a hundred soldierst will have only ten left for the family of Israel.”t

4 The Lord says this to the familyt of Israel:
“Seek mes so you can live!

5 Do not seek Bethel!ss
Do not visit Gilgal!
Do not journey downts to Beer Sheba!
For the people of Gilgalt will certainly be carried into exile;ts
and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds.”ts

6 Seek the Lord so you can live!
Otherwise he will break outt like fire against Joseph’ss family;t
the firet will consume
and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel.t

7 The Israelitest turn justice into bitterness;t
they throw what is fair and rightt to the ground.s

8 (But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion;
he can turn the darkness into morning
and daylightt into night.
He summons the water of the seas
and pours it out on the earth’s surface.
The Lord is his name!

9 He flashest destruction down upon the strong
so that destruction overwhelmst the fortified places.)

10 The Israelitest hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate;s
they despise anyone who speaks honestly.

11 Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their cropst
and exact a grain tax from them,
you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone,
nor will you drink the wine from the finet vineyards you planted.t

12 Certainlyt I am aware oft your many rebellious actst
and your numerous sins.
Yout torment the innocent, you take bribes,
and you deny justice tot the needy at the city gate.s

13 For this reason whoever is smartt keeps quiett in such a time,
for it is an evilt time.

14 Seek good and not evil so you can live!
Then the Lord, the God who commands armies, just might be with you,
as you claim he is.

15 Hate what is wrong, love what is right!
Promotet justice at the city gate!s
Maybe the Lord, the God who commands armies, will have mercy ont those who are left fromt Joseph.s

16 Because of Israel’s sinst this is what the Lord, the God who commands armies, the sovereign One,t says:
“In all the squares there will be wailing,
in all the streets they will mourn the dead.t
They will tell the field workerst to lament
and the professional mournersts to wail.

17 In all the vineyards there will be wailing,
for I will pass throughs your midst,” says the Lord.

The Lord Demands Justice

18 Woet to those who wish for the day of the Lord!
Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come?
It will bring darkness, not light.

19 Disaster will be inescapable,t
as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear,
then escapedt into a house,
leaned his hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a poisonous snake.

20 Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bringt darkness, not light –
gloomy blackness, not bright light?

21 “I absolutely despiset your festivals!
I get no pleasuret from your religious assemblies!

22 Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings,t I will not be satisfied;
I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves.t

23 Take away from me yourt noisy songs;
I don’t want to hear the music of your stringed instruments.t

24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,
righteous actionst like a stream that never dries up.

25 You did not bring mets sacrifices and grain offerings during the forty years you spent in the wilderness, familyt of Israel.

26 You will pick up your imagest of Sikkuth,t your king,s
and Kiyyun,t your star god, which you made for yourselves,

27 and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord.
He is called the God who commands armies!