Lamentation for Israel

Listen to this message that I am singing for you, a lament,(A) house of Israel:

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)

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

For the Lord says to the house of Israel:

Seek Me and live!(G)
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.
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)
Those who turn justice into wormwood(N)
throw righteousness to the ground.

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)
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

  1. Amos 5:8 Or turns the shadow of death
  2. Amos 5:9 Hb obscure
  3. Amos 5:9 Or stronghold
  4. Amos 5:13 Or the prudent will perish
  5. Amos 5:16 Lit will say, “Alas! Alas!”
  6. Amos 5:16 Lit and those skilled in lamentation
  7. Amos 5:26 Or you will lift up
  8. Amos 5:26 LXX, Sym, Syr, Vg read the tent; Ac 7:43
  9. Amos 5:26 Probably a Mesopotamian war god also called Adar or Ninurta
  10. Amos 5:26 LXX reads up the tent of Molech and Rephan; Ac 7:43
  11. Amos 5:26 Probably a Mesopotamian god identified with Saturn

劝以色列人悔改

以色列家啊,
听我为你们唱哀歌:
“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。”
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。”

耶和华对以色列家说:
“你们要寻求我,才能存活。
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。”
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。
你们这些使正义变为苦艾、将公义丢弃在地的人啊,
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。
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

  1. 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。

哀叹以色利人倾覆

以色列家啊,要听我为你们所作的哀歌: 以色列[a]跌倒,不得再起;躺在地上,无人搀扶。 主耶和华如此说:“以色列家的城,发出一千兵的只剩一百,发出一百的只剩十个。”

劝其寻主得生

耶和华向以色列家如此说:“你们要寻求我,就必存活。 不要往伯特利寻求,不要进入吉甲,不要过到别是巴,因为吉甲必被掳掠,伯特利也必归于无有。” 要寻求耶和华,就必存活,免得他在约瑟家像火发出,在伯特利焚烧无人扑灭。 你们这使公平变为茵陈,将公义丢弃于地的, 要寻求那造昴星和参星,使死荫变为晨光,使白日变为黑夜,命海水来浇在地上的,耶和华是他的名。 他使力强的忽遭灭亡,以致保障遭遇毁坏。

10 你们怨恨那在城门口责备人的,憎恶那说正直话的。 11 你们践踏贫民,向他们勒索麦子。你们用凿过的石头建造房屋,却不得住在其内;栽种美好的葡萄园,却不得喝所出的酒。 12 我知道你们的罪过何等多,你们的罪恶何等大,你们苦待义人,收受贿赂,在城门口屈枉穷乏人。 13 所以通达人见这样的时势,必静默不言,因为时势真恶。

14 你们要求善,不要求恶,就必存活。这样,耶和华万军之神必照你们所说的,与你们同在。 15 要恶恶好善,在城门口秉公行义,或者耶和华万军之神向约瑟的余民施恩。

16 主耶和华万军之神如此说:“在一切宽阔处必有哀号的声音,在各街市上必有人说:‘哀哉!哀哉!’又必叫农夫来哭号,叫善唱哀歌的来举哀。 17 在各葡萄园必有哀号的声音,因为我必从你中间经过。”这是耶和华说的。

18 想望耶和华日子来到的有祸了!你们为何想望耶和华的日子呢?那日黑暗没有光明, 19 景况好像人躲避狮子又遇见熊,或是进房屋以手靠墙,就被蛇咬。 20 耶和华的日子不是黑暗没有光明吗?不是幽暗毫无光辉吗?

献祭不诚主不悦纳

21 “我厌恶你们的节期,也不喜悦你们的严肃会。 22 你们虽然向我献燔祭和素祭,我却不悦纳,也不顾你们用肥畜献的平安祭。 23 要使你们歌唱的声音远离我,因为我不听你们弹琴的响声。 24 唯愿公平如大水滚滚,使公义如江河滔滔。

25 以色列家啊,你们在旷野四十年,岂是将祭物和供物献给我呢? 26 你们抬着为自己所造之摩洛的帐幕和偶像的龛,并你们的神星。 27 所以,我要把你们掳到大马士革以外。”这是耶和华,名为万军之神说的。

Footnotes

  1. 阿摩司书 5:2 “民”原文作“处女”。