Amos 5

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

Listen to the words of the funeral song I am singing for you, 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.”

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 For the Lord GOD 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 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 For the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

For the Lord says this to Israel: Seek me and 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 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 Seek the LORD, 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 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 You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!

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

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, the LORD is his name,

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

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

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

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

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.

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 For I know how many are your offences, 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 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 Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

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

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

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

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 Therefore the LORD, the God of Hosts, 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 skilful in lamentation to wailing.

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Was it only sacrifices and grain offerings you brought me during the forty years in the wilderness, 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 now you will lift up your “king” Sikkuth and “star god” Kiyyun, your idols which you have made for yourselves,

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

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