Amos 5
Common English Bible
A song of lament
5 Hear this word—a funeral song—that I am lifting up against you, house of Israel:
2 Fallen, no more to rise,
is virgin Israel,
deserted on her land,
with no one to raise her up.
3 The Lord God proclaims:
The city that marched out one thousand people
will have one hundred left,
and the city that marched out one hundred will have ten left in the house of Israel.
Words of encouragement
4 The Lord proclaims to the house of Israel:
Seek me and live.
5 But don’t seek Bethel,
don’t enter into Gilgal,
or cross over to Beer-sheba;
for Gilgal will go into exile,
and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Seek the Lord and live,
or else God might rush like a fire against the house of Joseph.
The fire will burn up Bethel, with no one to put it out.
Words of doom
7 Doom to you who turn justice into poison,
and throw righteousness to the ground!
8 The one who made the Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning,
and darkens the day into night;
who summons the waters of the sea,
and pours them out on the surface of the earth—
this one’s name is the Lord—
9 who causes destruction to flash out against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate the one who judges at the city gate,
and they reject the one who speaks the truth.
11 Truly, because you crush the weak,
and because you tax their grain,
you have built houses of carved stone,
but you won’t live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you won’t drink their wine.
12 I know how many are your crimes,
and how numerous are your sins—
afflicting the righteous,
taking money on the side,
turning away the poor who seek help.
13 Therefore, the one who is wise will keep silent in that time;
it is an evil time.
Words of inspiration
14 Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of heavenly forces,
will be with you just as you have said.
15 Hate evil, love good,
and establish justice at the city gate.
Perhaps the Lord God of heavenly forces
will be gracious to what is left of Joseph.
Divine wrath anticipated
16 Truly, the Lord proclaims,
the God of heavenly forces, the Lord:
Crying will be heard in all the squares.
In all the streets they will say, “Oh no! Oh no!”
They will call upon the farmers to wail,
and those skilled in mourning to lament.
17 In all the vineyards there will be bitter crying because
I will pass through your midst,
says the Lord.
A statement of divine disgust
18 Doom to those who desire the day of the Lord!
Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light;
19 as if someone fled from a lion,
and was met by a bear;
or sought refuge in a house,
rested a hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a snake.
20 Isn’t the day of the Lord darkness, not light;
all dark with no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I reject your festivals;
I don’t enjoy your joyous assemblies.
22 If you bring me your entirely burned offerings and gifts of food—
I won’t be pleased;
I won’t even look at your offerings of well-fed animals.
23 Take away the noise of your songs;
I won’t listen to the melody of your harps.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
during the forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?
26 You will take up Sakkuth your king,
and Kaiwan your star-god,
your images, which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore, I will take you away
beyond Damascus, says the Lord,
whose name is the God of heavenly forces.
阿摩司书 5
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
劝以色列人悔改
5 以色列家啊，
听我为你们唱哀歌：
2 “处女以色列跌倒了，
再也站不起来；
她被遗弃在自己的土地上，
无人扶她起来。”
3 因为主耶和华说：
“以色列家的城邑中，
出兵一千的，只有百人生还；
出兵一百的，只有十人生还。”
4 耶和华对以色列家说：
“你们要寻求我，才能存活。
5 不要去伯特利求问，
不要进入吉甲，
也不要前往别示巴，
因为吉甲人必被掳去，
伯特利也必化为乌有。”
6 你们要寻求耶和华，才能存活。
否则，祂要在约瑟家[a]如烈火爆发，
吞噬伯特利，无人能扑灭。
7 你们这些使正义变为苦艾、将公义丢弃在地的人啊，
8 那位造昴星和参星，
使幽暗变为黎明，
使白昼变为黑夜，
召来海水浇在大地上的——
祂的名字是耶和华。
9 祂使毁灭如闪电临到强者，
摧毁他们的坚城。
10 你们憎恨在城门口主持公道的人，
厌恶正直的人。
11 你们践踏穷人，
对他们横征暴敛。
因此，你们用凿过的石头建房，
却不得居住在里面；
你们种植佳美的葡萄园，
却喝不到葡萄酒。
12 我知道你们的过犯众多、罪恶无数。
你们迫害义人，收受贿赂，
在城门口冤枉穷人。
13 这是邪恶的时代，
所以明智者静默不言。
14 你们要弃恶从善，才能存活。
这样，万军之上帝耶和华必与你们同在，
正如你们所说的。
15 你们要恨恶邪恶，喜爱良善，
在城门口伸张正义，
也许万军之上帝耶和华会恩待约瑟的余民。
16 因此，主——万军之上帝耶和华说：
“哀号之声要响遍各广场，
哭喊之声将充满大街小巷。
农夫被叫来哭泣，
哭丧者被召来哀号。
17 每个葡萄园都传出哀恸的声音，
因为我要从你们中间经过，惩罚你们。
这是耶和华说的。”
18 盼望耶和华的日子到来的人有祸了！
你们为什么盼望耶和华的日子呢？
那日将带来黑暗，而非光明。
19 你们的光景将好像人逃避狮子，
却遇上了熊，
逃回家里，手扶墙壁，
又被蛇咬。
20 耶和华的日子将充满黑暗，毫无光明，
一片漆黑，
毫无亮光。
21 “我憎恶、鄙弃你们的节期，
厌恶你们的圣会。
22 即使你们献上燔祭和素祭，
我也不悦纳；
即使你们用肥美的牲畜献上平安祭，
我也不屑一顾。
23 撤去你们嘈杂的歌声吧，
我不想听到你们的琴音。
24 惟愿公正如江河滔滔不尽，
公义如溪流绵绵不绝。
25 以色列家啊，
在旷野的四十年间，
你们向我献过祭物和供品吗？
26 你们抬着为自己造的神像——
你们的王撒固和星神迦温。
27 所以，我要使你们被掳到大马士革以外的地方。”
这是耶和华说的，祂的名字是万军之上帝。
Footnotes
- 5:6 “约瑟家”此处指约瑟的子孙以法莲和玛拿西两个支派，圣经中有时用约瑟家代指北国以色列。
Amos 5
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Lamentation for Israel
5 Listen to this message that I am singing for you, a lament,(A) house of Israel:
2 She has fallen;
Virgin Israel(B) will never rise again.(C)
She lies abandoned on her land,
with no one to raise her up.(D)
3 For the Lord God says:
The city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left,(E)
and the one that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left(F) in the house of Israel.
Seek God and Live
4 For the Lord says to the house of Israel:
Seek Me and live!(G)
5 Do not seek Bethel(H)
or go to Gilgal(I)
or journey to Beer-sheba,(J)
for Gilgal will certainly go into exile,
and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Seek Yahweh(K) and live,
or He will spread like fire(L)
throughout the house of Joseph;
it will consume everything,
with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.(M)
7 Those who turn justice into wormwood(N)
throw righteousness to the ground.
8 The One who made the Pleiades and Orion,(O)
who turns darkness[a] into dawn(P)
and darkens day into night,(Q)
who summons the waters of the sea(R)
and pours them out over the face of the earth(S)—
Yahweh is His name.(T)
9 He brings destruction[b] on the strong,[c](U)
and it falls on the stronghold.(V)
10 They hate the one who convicts the guilty(W)
at the city gate
and despise(X) the one who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor(Y)
and exact a grain tax from him,
you will never live in the houses of cut stone(Z)
you have built;
you will never drink the wine
from the lush vineyards
you have planted.(AA)
12 For I know your crimes are many
and your sins innumerable.
They oppress the righteous,(AB) take a bribe,
and deprive the poor of justice(AC) at the gates.
13 Therefore, the wise person will keep silent[d](AD)
at such a time,
for the days are evil.
14 Seek good and not evil
so that you may live,
and the Lord, the God of Hosts,
will be with you,
as you have claimed.(AE)
15 Hate evil and love good;(AF)
establish justice in the gate.(AG)
Perhaps the Lord, the God of Hosts, will be gracious(AH)
to the remnant of Joseph.(AI)
16 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says:
There will be wailing in all the public squares;(AJ)
they will cry out in anguish[e] in all the streets.
The farmer will be called on to mourn,(AK)
and professional mourners[f](AL) to wail.
17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards,(AM)
for I will pass among you.(AN)
The Lord has spoken.
The Day of the Lord
18 Woe to you who long for the Day of the Lord!(AO)
What will the Day of the Lord be for you?
It will be darkness and not light.(AP)
19 It will be like a man who flees from a lion(AQ)
only to have a bear confront him.
He goes home and rests his hand against the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
20 Won’t the Day of the Lord
be darkness rather than light,(AR)
even gloom without any brightness in it?(AS)
21 I hate, I despise your feasts!(AT)
I can’t stand the stench
of your solemn assemblies.(AU)
22 Even if you offer Me
your burnt offerings and grain offerings,(AV)
I will not accept them;(AW)
I will have no regard
for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle.(AX)
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.(AY)
24 But let justice flow like water,
and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.(AZ)
25 “House of Israel, was it sacrifices and grain offerings that you presented to Me during the 40 years in the wilderness?(BA) 26 But you have taken up[g] Sakkuth[h][i] your king[j] and Kaiwan[k] your star god, images you have made for yourselves.(BB) 27 So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus.”(BC) Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name.(BD) He has spoken.
Footnotes
- Amos 5:8 Or turns the shadow of death
- Amos 5:9 Hb obscure
- Amos 5:9 Or stronghold
- Amos 5:13 Or the prudent will perish
- Amos 5:16 Lit will say, “Alas! Alas!”
- Amos 5:16 Lit and those skilled in lamentation
- Amos 5:26 Or you will lift up
- Amos 5:26 LXX, Sym, Syr, Vg read the tent; Ac 7:43
- Amos 5:26 Probably a Mesopotamian war god also called Adar or Ninurta
- Amos 5:26 LXX reads up the tent of Molech and Rephan; Ac 7:43
- Amos 5:26 Probably a Mesopotamian god identified with Saturn
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