Amos 5
A Lament for Israel
1 Hear this word which I take up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel: Hear this word which I take up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel:2 The virgin of Israel has fallen; She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; There is no one to raise her up.3 For thus says the Lord God: The city that goes out by a thousand Shall have a hundred left, And that which goes out by a hundred Shall have ten left to the house of Israel.
A Call to Repentance
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek Me and live;5 But do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing.6 Seek the Lord and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel7 You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!8 He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.9 He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.10 They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them.12 For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.13 Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.14 Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.15 Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
The Day of the Lord
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this: There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, Alas! Alas! They shall call the farmer to mourning, And skillful lamenters to wailing.17 In all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you, Says the Lord.18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?21 I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.25 Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?26 You also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves.27 Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus, Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
AMOS 5
Turn Back to the [Lord]
1 Listen, nation of Israel,
to my mournful message:
2 You, dearest Israel, have fallen,
never to rise again—
you lie deserted in your own land,
with no one to help you up.
3 The [Lord] God has warned,
“From every ten soldiers
only one will be left;
from a thousand troops,
only a hundred will survive.”
4 The [Lord] keeps saying,
“Israel, turn back to me
and you will live!
5 Don't go to Gilgal or Bethel
or even to Beersheba.t
Gilgal will be dragged away,
and Bethel will end up
as nothing.”t
6 Turn back to the [Lord],
you descendants of Joseph, t
and you will live.
If you don't, the [Lord]
will attack like fire.
Bethel will burn to the ground,
and no one can save it.
7 You people are doomed!
You twist the truth
and trample on justice.
8 t But the [Lord] created the stars
and put them in place.t
He turns darkness to dawn
and daylight to darkness;
he scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
9 God destroys mighty soldiers
and strong fortresses.Choose Good //Instead of Evil!
The [Lord] said:
10 You people hate judges
and honest witnesses;
11 you abuse the poor and demand
heavy taxes from them.
You have built expensive homes,
but you won't enjoy them;
you have planted vineyards,
but you will get no wine.
12 I am the [Lord], and I know
your terrible sins.
You cheat honest people
and take bribes;
you rob the poor of justice.
13 Times are so evil
that anyone with good sense
will keep quiet.
14 If you really want to live,
you must stop doing wrong
and start doing right.
I, the [Lord] God All-Powerful,
will then be on your side,
just as you claim I am.
15 Choose good instead of evil!
See that justice is done.
Maybe I, the [Lord] All-Powerful,
will be kind to what's left
of your people.tJudgment Is Coming
16 This is what the [Lord] has sworn:
Noisy crying will be heard
in every town and street.
Even farmers will be told
to mourn for the dead,
together with those
who are paid to mourn.t
17 Your vineyards will be filled
with crying and weeping, t
because I will punish you.
I, the [Lord], have spoken!When the [Lord] Judges
18 You look forward to the day
when the [Lord] comes to judge.
But you are in for trouble!
It won't be a time of sunshine;
all will be darkness.
19 You will run from a lion,
only to meet a bear.
You will escape to your house,
rest your hand on the wall,
and be bitten by a snake.
20 The day when the [Lord] judges
will be dark, very dark,
without a ray of light.What the [Lord] Demands
21 t I, the [Lord], hate and despise
your religious celebrations
and your times of worship.
22 I won't accept your offerings
or animal sacrifices—
not even your very best.
23 No more of your noisy songs!
I won't listen
when you play your harps.
24 But let justice and fairness
flow like a river
that never runs dry.
25 t Israel, for forty years
you wandered in the desert,
without bringing offerings
or sacrifices to me.
26 Now you will have to carry
the two idols you made—
Sakkuth, the one you call king,
and Kaiwan, the one you built
in the shape of a star.t
27 I will force you to march
as captives beyond Damascus.
I, the [Lord] God All-Powerful,
have spoken!t