Amos 5

A Lament over the House of Israel

1Hear this word
that I take up over you as a lament,
house of Israel: 2Fallen, no more to rise,
is virgin Israel.
She is abandoned upon her ground;
there is no one
to raise her up. 3For thus says the Lord GOD:

The city that goes out with a thousand
will have a hundred left,
and the one that goes out with a hundred
will have ten left
for the house of Israel.

Seek Me and Live

4For thus says the LORD
to the house of Israel:

Seek me
and live. 5But do not seek Bethel,
and do not enter Gilgal,
and do not cross over to Beersheba,
for Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will become nothing. 6Seek the LORD
and live,
lest he break out like fire
against the house of Joseph
and consume it,
with no one to extinguish it
for Bethel.

The One Who Made the Pleiades and Orion

7You who turn justice into wormwood
and cast righteousness
to the ground— 8the one who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns deep darkness into morning
and darkens day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out
upon the face of the earth—
the LORD is his name. 9He flashes destruction upon the strong,
so that destruction comes
upon the fortress.

You Hate the One Who Reproves in the Gate

10They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they detest
the one who speaks with integrity. 11Therefore, because you trample the poor
and take a grain tax from him,
though you have built houses of cut stone,
you will not live in them;
though you have planted delightful vineyards,
you will not drink their wine. 12For I know how many are your transgressions
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous,
take a bribe,
and turn aside the needy
in the gate. 13Therefore the prudent person
will be silent in such a time,
for it is an evil time.

Seek Good and Not Evil

14Seek good and not evil,
so that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of Hosts,
will be with you,
as you have said. 15Hate evil
and love good,
and establish justice in the gate.
Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts,
will be gracious
to the remnant of Joseph.

Wailing in Every Street

16Therefore thus says the LORD,
the God of Hosts, the Lord:

In all the squares there will be wailing,
and in all the streets they will say,
“Alas! Alas!”
They will call the farmer to mourning
and those skilled in lamentation
to wailing. 17In all the vineyards there will be wailing,
for I will pass through your midst,
says the LORD.

Woe to Those Who Desire the Day of the LORD

18Woe to those
who desire the day of the LORD!
Why is the day of the LORD for you?
It is darkness
and not light. 19It is as when a man flees from a lion
and a bear meets him,
or he enters the house
and leans his hand against the wall
and a serpent bites him. 20Is not the day of the LORD darkness
and not light,
gloom
with no brightness in it?

Let Justice Roll Down like Waters

21I hate,
I reject your festivals,
and I will not delight
in your solemn assemblies. 22Even if you offer me
your burnt offerings
and grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
and the offerings of well-being
from your fattened animals
I will not look upon. 23Remove from me
the noise of your songs;
I will not listen
to the sound of your harps. 24But let justice roll down like waters
and righteousness
like an ever-flowing stream.

Did You Bring Me Sacrifices in the Wilderness?

25Did you bring me sacrifices and grain offerings
in the wilderness forty years,
house of Israel? 26You shall carry Sikkuth your king
and Kiyyun your images,
the star of your gods
that you made for yourselves. 27And I will send you into exile
beyond Damascus,
says the LORD,
whose name is the God of Hosts.