Amos 5:18-27

The Voice

¹⁸ How horrible for you who look forward to the day of the Eternal One!
    Why do you want it to come?
For you, its arrival will mean darkness, not light.
¹⁹ It will be as if you were to escape from a lion
    only to run headlong into a bear,
As if you ran into a house to hide, leaned against the wall to rest,
    and a poisonous snake latched onto your hand.
²⁰ Will not the day of the Eternal One be darkness instead of light,
    pitch black, without even a hint of brightness?

²¹ Eternal One: I hate—I totally reject—your religious ceremonies
        and have nothing to do with your solemn gatherings.
²²     You can offer Me whole burnt offerings and grain offerings,
        but I will not accept them.
    You can sacrifice your finest, fattest young animals as a peace offering,
        but I will not even look up.
²³     And stop making that music for Me—it’s just noise.
        I will not listen to the melodies you play on the harp.
²⁴     Here’s what I want: Let justice thunder down like a waterfall;
        let righteousness flow like a mighty river that never runs dry.