Amos 5

1 Listen to the words of the funeral song I am singing for you, Israel:

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

2 Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel! Hurled down upon her own soil she lies, with no one to lift her 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 the Lord God says this: The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers has only a hundred left, and the one that marches out with a hundred has only ten left.

For thus says 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 the Lord says this to Israel: Seek me and live,

For thus says Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live.

5 But do not seek Bethel, do not enter Gilgal, do not go over to Beer-sheba. For Gilgal will enter exile, and Bethel will go to destruction.

But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba. For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to naught.

6 Seek the Lord and live, or he will cast fire on the house of Joseph, and it will devour and there will be no one to quench it for Bethel.

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 Bethel.

7 You who turn judgment to bitter wormwood, and cast righteousness into the dirt:

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

8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns deep darkness into dawn, who darkens day again into night, who summons the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the earth’s surface, the Lord is his name!

seek him who makes the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night, who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth (Jehovah is his name),

9 He causes destruction to burst over the strong. He brings devastation on the fortress.

who brings sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10 You who hate the arbiters at the city gate, and abhor anyone who speaks the truth:

They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks uprightly.

11 Because you trample on the weak, and tax their grain, although you have built houses of hewn stone, you will not live in them, although you have planted charming vineyards, you will not drink their wine.

Inasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions of wheat from him. 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 many are your crimes, and how great are your sins! You persecutors of the righteous, takers of bribes! You deny the poor their justice at the city gate.

For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins-ye who afflict the just man, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the gate.

13 It would be wise to keep quiet in such an evil time.

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

14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live, so the Lord, God of hosts, may be with you, as you have claimed he is.

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, establish justice at the city gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to a surviving 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 to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, says: In all the public squares there will be wailing, in every street the sound of mourning. They will summon the farmers to mourning, and professional mourners to wailing.

Therefore thus says 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 In all vineyards there will be lamenting, when I pass through your midst, says the Lord.

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

18 Fools who long for the day of the Lord! What does the day of the Lord mean to you? It is darkness, and not light.

Woe to you who desire the day of Jehovah! Why would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light.

19 It is as when one flees from a lion, and is attacked by a bear, as when one reaches home, leans his hand on the wall, and a snake bites him.

As if a man fled 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 Won’t the Lord’s day be darkness and not light, murky darkness without a ray of light in it?

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, I will not smell the savour of your festivals,

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

22 I will not be pleased with your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, I will not accept the peace offerings of your fattened calves.

Yea, though ye offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them, nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

23 Spare me the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the melody of your lyres.

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 on as a flood of waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.

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

25 Was it only sacrifices and grain offerings you brought me during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?

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

26 But now you will lift up your “king” Sikkuth and “star god” Kiyyun, your idols which you have made for yourselves,

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

27 as I drive you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

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