Amos 5

¹ Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, 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.”

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.”

⁴ For the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will 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.

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.

⁷ You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to 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, the LORD is his name,

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

¹⁶ Therefore the LORD, 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.

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

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.

²⁰ Won’t 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.

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.

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

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

²⁵ “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, 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.

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

¹ HHear ye this word, which I take up concerning you for a lamentation. The house of Israel is fallen, and it shall rise no more.

² The virgin of Israel is cast down upon her land, there is none to raise her up.

³ For thus saith the Lord God: The city, out of which came forth a thousand, there shall be left in it a hundred: and out of which there came a hundred, there shall be left in it ten, in the house of Israel.

⁴ For thus saith the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and you shall live.

⁵ But seek not Bethel, and go not into Galgal, neither shall you pass over to Bersabee: for Galgal shall go into captivity, and Bethel shall be unprofitable.

⁶ Seek ye the Lord, and live: lest the house of Joseph be burnt with fire, and it shall devour, and there shall be none to quench Bethel.

⁷ You that turn judgment into wormwood, and forsake justice in the land,

⁸ Seek him that maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and that turneth darkness into morning, and that changeth day into night: that calleth the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.

⁹ He that with a smile bringeth destruction upon the strong, and waste upon the mighty.

¹⁰ They have hated him that rebuketh in the gate: and have abhorred him that speaketh perfectly.

¹¹ Therefore because you robbed the poor, and took the choice prey from him: you shall build houses with square stone, and shall not dwell in them: you shall plant most delightful vineyards, and shall not drink the wine of them.

¹² Because I know your manifold crimes, and your grievous sins: enemies of the just, taking bribes, and oppressing the poor in the gate.

¹³ Therefore the prudent shall keep silence at that time, for it is an evil time.

¹⁴ Seek ye good, and not evil, that you may live: and the Lord the God of hosts will be with you, as you have said.

¹⁵ Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be the Lord the God of hosts may have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lord the God of hosts the sovereign Lord: In every street there shall be wailing: and in all places that are without, they shall say: Alas, alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful in lamentation to lament.

¹⁷ And in all vineyards there shall be wailing: because I will pass through in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.

¹⁸ Woe to them 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 should flee from the face of a lion, and a bear should meet him: or enter into the house, and lean with his hand upon the wall, and a serpent should bite him.

²⁰ Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light: and obscurity, and no brightness in it?

²¹ I hate, and have rejected your festivities: and I will not receive the odour of your assemblies.

²² And if you offer me holocausts, and your gifts, I will not receive them: neither will I regard the vows of your fat beasts.

²³ Take away from me the tumult of thy songs: and I will not hear the canticles of thy harp.

²⁴ But judgment shall be revealed as water, and justice as a mighty torrent.

²⁵ Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me in the desert for forty years, O house of Israel?