< Ἀμώςʹ 5 >

1 ἀκούσατε τὸν λόγον κυρίου τοῦτον ὃν ἐγὼ λαμβάνω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς θρῆνον οἶκος Ισραηλ
Listen to the words of the funeral song I am singing for you, Israel:
2 ἔπεσεν οὐκέτι μὴ προσθῇ τοῦ ἀναστῆναι παρθένος τοῦ Ισραηλ ἔσφαλεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῆς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἀναστήσων αὐτήν
Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel! Hurled down upon her own soil she lies, with no one to lift her up!
3 διότι τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἡ πόλις ἐξ ἧς ἐξεπορεύοντο χίλιοι ὑπολειφθήσονται ἑκατόν καὶ ἐξ ἧς ἐξεπορεύοντο ἑκατόν ὑπολειφθήσονται δέκα τῷ οἴκῳ Ισραηλ
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.
4 διότι τάδε λέγει κύριος πρὸς τὸν οἶκον Ισραηλ ἐκζητήσατέ με καὶ ζήσεσθε
For the Lord says this to Israel: Seek me and live,
5 καὶ μὴ ἐκζητεῖτε Βαιθηλ καὶ εἰς Γαλγαλα μὴ εἰσπορεύεσθε καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου μὴ διαβαίνετε ὅτι Γαλγαλα αἰχμαλωτευομένη αἰχμαλωτευθήσεται καὶ Βαιθηλ ἔσται ὡς οὐχ ὑπάρχουσα
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.
6 ἐκζητήσατε τὸν κύριον καὶ ζήσατε ὅπως μὴ ἀναλάμψῃ ὡς πῦρ ὁ οἶκος Ιωσηφ καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτόν καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ σβέσων τῷ οἴκῳ Ισραηλ
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.
7 κύριος ὁ ποιῶν εἰς ὕψος κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην εἰς γῆν ἔθηκεν
You who turn judgment to bitter wormwood, and cast righteousness into the dirt:
8 ποιῶν πάντα καὶ μετασκευάζων καὶ ἐκτρέπων εἰς τὸ πρωὶ σκιὰν θανάτου καὶ ἡμέραν εἰς νύκτα συσκοτάζων ὁ προσκαλούμενος τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐκχέων αὐτὸ ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ
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!
9 ὁ διαιρῶν συντριμμὸν ἐπ’ ἰσχὺν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐπὶ ὀχύρωμα ἐπάγων
He causes destruction to burst over the strong. He brings devastation on the fortress.
10 ἐμίσησαν ἐν πύλαις ἐλέγχοντα καὶ λόγον ὅσιον ἐβδελύξαντο
You who hate the arbiters at the city gate, and abhor anyone who speaks the truth:
11 διὰ τοῦτο ἀνθ’ ὧν κατεκονδυλίζετε πτωχοὺς καὶ δῶρα ἐκλεκτὰ ἐδέξασθε παρ’ αὐτῶν οἴκους ξυστοὺς ᾠκοδομήσατε καὶ οὐ μὴ κατοικήσητε ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀμπελῶνας ἐπιθυμητοὺς ἐφυτεύσατε καὶ οὐ μὴ πίητε τὸν οἶνον ἐξ αὐτῶν
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.
12 ὅτι ἔγνων πολλὰς ἀσεβείας ὑμῶν καὶ ἰσχυραὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν καταπατοῦντες δίκαιον λαμβάνοντες ἀλλάγματα καὶ πένητας ἐν πύλαις ἐκκλίνοντες
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.
13 διὰ τοῦτο ὁ συνίων ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ σιωπήσεται ὅτι καιρὸς πονηρός ἐστιν
It would be wise to keep quiet in such an evil time.
14 ἐκζητήσατε τὸ καλὸν καὶ μὴ τὸ πονηρόν ὅπως ζήσητε καὶ ἔσται οὕτως μεθ’ ὑμῶν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὃν τρόπον εἴπατε
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.
15 μεμισήκαμεν τὰ πονηρὰ καὶ ἠγαπήκαμεν τὰ καλά καὶ ἀποκαταστήσατε ἐν πύλαις κρίμα ὅπως ἐλεήσῃ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ τοὺς περιλοίπους τοῦ Ιωσηφ
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.
16 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ἐν πάσαις πλατείαις κοπετός καὶ ἐν πάσαις ὁδοῖς ῥηθήσεται οὐαὶ οὐαί κληθήσεται γεωργὸς εἰς πένθος καὶ κοπετὸν καὶ εἰς εἰδότας θρῆνον
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.
17 καὶ ἐν πάσαις ὁδοῖς κοπετός διότι διελεύσομαι διὰ μέσου σου εἶπεν κύριος
In all vineyards there will be lamenting, when I pass through your midst, says the Lord.
18 οὐαὶ οἱ ἐπιθυμοῦντες τὴν ἡμέραν κυρίου ἵνα τί αὕτη ὑμῖν ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου καὶ αὐτή ἐστιν σκότος καὶ οὐ φῶς
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.
19 ὃν τρόπον ὅταν φύγῃ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λέοντος καὶ ἐμπέσῃ αὐτῷ ἡ ἄρκος καὶ εἰσπηδήσῃ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπερείσηται τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον καὶ δάκῃ αὐτὸν ὁ ὄφις
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.
20 οὐχὶ σκότος ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου καὶ οὐ φῶς καὶ γνόφος οὐκ ἔχων φέγγος αὐτῇ
Won’t the Lord’s day be darkness and not light, murky darkness without a ray of light in it?
21 μεμίσηκα ἀπῶσμαι ἑορτὰς ὑμῶν καὶ οὐ μὴ ὀσφρανθῶ ἐν ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν ὑμῶν
I hate, I despise your feasts, I will not smell the savour of your festivals,
22 διότι καὶ ἐὰν ἐνέγκητέ μοι ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ θυσίας ὑμῶν οὐ προσδέξομαι αὐτά καὶ σωτηρίου ἐπιφανείας ὑμῶν οὐκ ἐπιβλέψομαι
I will not be pleased with your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, I will not accept the peace offerings of your fattened calves.
23 μετάστησον ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ἦχον ᾠδῶν σου καὶ ψαλμὸν ὀργάνων σου οὐκ ἀκούσομαι
Spare me the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the melody of your lyres.
24 καὶ κυλισθήσεται ὡς ὕδωρ κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνη ὡς χειμάρρους ἄβατος
But let justice roll on as a flood of waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.
25 μὴ σφάγια καὶ θυσίας προσηνέγκατέ μοι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη οἶκος Ισραηλ
Was it only sacrifices and grain offerings you brought me during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
26 καὶ ἀνελάβετε τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Μολοχ καὶ τὸ ἄστρον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν Ραιφαν τοὺς τύπους αὐτῶν οὓς ἐποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς
But now you will lift up your “king” Sikkuth and “star god” Kiyyun, your idols which you have made for yourselves,
27 καὶ μετοικιῶ ὑμᾶς ἐπέκεινα Δαμασκοῦ λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ
as I drive you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

< Ἀμώςʹ 5 >