Amos 5

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

Hear this word that I take up as a lament over you, 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 Israel has fallen; she will rise no more; she is forsaken on her land; there is no one 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 this is what the Lord Yahweh says: “The city that went out with a thousand will have a hundred left, and the one that went out with a hundred will have ten left belonging to the house of Israel.”

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

For this is what Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me and 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.

Do not seek Bethel; nor enter Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into captivity, and Bethel will become nothing.

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

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

Those people turn justice into a bitter thing and throw righteousness down to the ground!”

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!

God made the Pleiades and Orion; he turns darkness into the morning; he makes the day dark with night and calls for the waters of the sea; he pours them out on the surface of the earth. Yahweh is his name!

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

He brings sudden destruction on the strong so that destruction comes on the fortresses.

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

They hate anyone who corrects them in the city gate, and they abhor anyone who speaks the truth.

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.

Because you trample down the poor and take portions of wheat from him— although you have built houses of worked stone, you will not live in them. You have delightful vineyards, but you will not drink their wine.

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 many are your offenses and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, take bribes, and turn aside the needy in the city gate.

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

Therefore any prudent person is silent at 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, so that you may live. So Yahweh, the God of hosts, will really be with you, as you say he is.

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 evil, love good, establish justice in the city gate. Perhaps Yahweh, 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, this is what Yahweh says, the God of hosts, the Lord, “Wailing will be in all the squares, and they will say in all the streets, 'Woe! Woe!' They will call the farmers to mourning and the mourners to wail.

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

In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says Yahweh.

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 Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It will be 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 when a man flees from a lion and a bear meets him, or he goes in a house and puts his hand on the wall and a snake bites him.

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

Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness and not light? Gloom and no brightness?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, I will not smell the savour of your festivals,

“I hate, I despise your festivals, I 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.

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened animals.

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

Remove from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the sound of your harps.

24 But let justice roll on as a flood of waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.

Instead, let justice flow like water, and righteousness like a constantly flowing stream.

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

Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness for forty years, 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,

You have lifted up the images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kaiwan, your star god, which you made for yourselves.

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

Therefore I will exile you beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of hosts.