Amos 5

1 Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:

Hear all of you this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.

2 “The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”

The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

3 For the Lord Yahweh says: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

For thus says the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.

4 For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

For thus says the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek all of you me, and all of you shall live:

5 but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

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 nothing.

6 Seek Yahweh, and you will live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

Seek the LORD, and all of you shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

7 You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!

All of you who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

8 Seek him who made 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 on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,

Seek him that makes the seven stars and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night: that calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

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

That strengthens the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

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

They hate him that rebukes in the gate, and they detest him that speaks uprightly.

11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take taxes from him of wheat, you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and all of you take from him burdens of wheat: all of you have built houses of hewn stone, but all of you shall not dwell in them; all of you have planted pleasant vineyards, but all of you shall not drink wine of them.

12 For I know how many are your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.

For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

13 Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.

Seek good, and not evil, that all of you may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as all of you have spoken.

15 Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.

Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD, says thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the farmer to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

17 In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh.

And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through you, says the LORD.

18 “Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light.

Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

19 As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

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 Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.

I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

22 Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

Though all of you offer me burnt offerings and your food offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

23 Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Take you away from me the noise of your songs; for I will not hear the melody of your viols.

24 But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

Have all of you offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26 You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

But all of you have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which all of you made to yourselves.

27 Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.

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