Amos 5:14-24

English Standard Version

¹⁴^(A)Seek good, and not evil,
    that you may live;
and so the Lord, ^(B)the God of hosts, will be with you,
    as you have said.
¹⁵^(C)Hate evil, and love good,
    and establish justice ^(D)in the gate;
^(E)it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶Therefore thus says the Lord, ^(F)the God of hosts, the Lord:

“In all the squares ^(G)there shall be wailing,
    and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmers to mourning
    and ^(H)to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
¹⁷and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
    for ^(I)I will pass through your midst,”
says the Lord.

Let Justice Roll Down

¹⁸Woe to you who desire ^(J)the day of the Lord!
    Why would you have the day of the Lord?
^(K)It is darkness, and not light,
¹⁹    ^(L)as if a man fled from a lion,
    and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
    and a serpent bit him.
²⁰^(M)Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

²¹^(N)“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
²²^(O)Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.
²³Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to ^(P)the melody of your harps I will not listen.
²⁴But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.