Amos 5

1 Hear this word that I am bearing to you, A lamentation, O house of Israel:

Hear this word that I take up as a lament over you, house of Israel.

2 'Fallen, not again to rise, hath the virgin of Israel, Left on her land — she hath no raiser 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 thus said the Lord Jehovah: The city that is going out a thousand, Doth leave an hundred, And that which is going out an hundred, Doth leave ten to the house of Israel.

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 thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,

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

5 And seek not Beth-El, and Gilgal enter not, And Beer-Sheba pass not through, For Gilgal doth utterly remove, And Beth-El doth become vanity.

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 ye Jehovah, and live, Lest He prosper as fire [against] the house of Joseph, And it hath consumed, And there is no quencher for Beth-El.

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 Ye who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,

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

8 The maker of Kimah and Kesil, And the turner to morning of death-shade, And day [as] night He hath made dark, Who is calling to the waters of the sea, And poureth them on the face of the earth, Jehovah [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 Who is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, And the spoiled against a fortress cometh.

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

10 They have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.

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

11 Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor, And the tribute of corn ye take from him, Houses of hewn work ye have built, And ye do not dwell in them, Desirable vineyards ye have planted, And ye do 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 have known — many [are] your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

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 Therefore is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it [is].

Therefore any prudent person is silent at such a time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, [is] with you, as ye said.

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, And set up judgment in the gate, It may be Jehovah, God of Hosts, doth pity the 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, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Lord, In all broad places [is] lamentation, And in all out-places they say, 'Alas, alas,' And called the husbandman to mourning, And to lamentation the skilful of 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 And in all vineyards [is] lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah.

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

18 Ho, ye who are desiring the day of Jehovah, Why [is] this to you — the day of Jehovah? 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 As [when] one fleeth from the face of the lion, And the bear hath met him, And he hath come in to the house, And hath leant his hand on the wall, And the serpent hath bitten 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 Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, Even thick darkness that hath no brightness?

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

21 I have hated — I have loathed your festivals, And I am not refreshed by your restraints.

“I hate, I despise your festivals, I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 For though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not.

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 Turn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.

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

24 And roll on as waters doth judgment, And righteousness as a perennial stream.

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

25 Sacrifices and offering did ye bring nigh to Me, In a wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

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

26 And ye bare Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, The star of your god, that ye made for yourselves.

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

27 And I removed you beyond Damascus, Said Jehovah, God of Hosts [is] His name.

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