Amos 5
New American Standard Bible
“Seek Me So That You May Live”
5 Hear this word which I am taking up for you as a (A)song of mourning, house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, she will (B)not rise again—
The (C)virgin Israel.
She lies unnoticed on her land;
There is (D)no one to raise her up.
3 For this is what the Lord [a]God says:
“The city which goes forth a thousand strong
Will have a (E)hundred left,
And the one which goes forth a hundred strong
Will have (F)ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:
“(G)Seek Me (H)so that you may live.
5 But do not [b]resort to (I)Bethel
And do not come to (J)Gilgal,
Nor cross over to (K)Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will [c]come to nothing.
6 (L)Seek the Lord so that you may live,
Or He will break through like a (M)fire, [d]house of Joseph,
And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn (N)justice into wormwood,
And [e]throw righteousness to the earth.”
8 He who made the (O)Pleiades and Orion,
And (P)changes deep darkness into morning,
[f]Who also (Q)darkens day into night,
Who (R)calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The (S)Lord is His name.
9 It is He who (T)makes destruction flash upon the strong,
So that (U)destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who (V)rebukes in the [g]gate,
And they (W)despise him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you impose heavy [h]rent on the poor
And take a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built (X)houses of cut stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will (Y)not drink their wine.
12 For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great,
You who are (Z)hostile to the righteous and accept bribes,
And [i]turn away the poor from justice at the [j]gate.
13 Therefore at [k]such a time the prudent person (AA)keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, so that you may live;
And so may the Lord God of armies be with you,
(AB)Just as you have said!
15 (AC)Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the [l]gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of armies
(AD)Will be gracious to the (AE)remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord God of armies, the Lord says:
“There is (AF)mourning in all the public squares,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Oh no! Oh no!’
They also call the (AG)farmer to mourning
And [m](AH)professional mourners to mourning rites.
17 And in all the (AI)vineyards there is mourning,
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.
18 Woe to you who are longing for the (AJ)day of the Lord,
For what [n]purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be (AK)darkness and not light;
19 As when a man (AL)flees from a lion
And a bear confronts him,
[o]Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
20 Will the day of the Lord not be (AM)darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I (AN)reject your festivals,
Nor do I [p](AO)delight in your festive assemblies.
22 Even though you (AP)offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the (AQ)peace offerings of your fattened oxen.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 But let (AR)justice roll out like waters,
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “[q](AS)Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? 26 (AT)You also carried along [r]Sikkuth your king and [s]Kiyyun, your images, [t]the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
Footnotes
- Amos 5:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 5:5 Lit seek
- Amos 5:5 Lit be
- Amos 5:6 Or in the house
- Amos 5:7 Lit they have thrown
- Amos 5:8 Lit And He darkened
- Amos 5:10 I.e., the place where court was held
- Amos 5:11 Or tax
- Amos 5:12 Lit they turn
- Amos 5:12 I.e., the place where court was held
- Amos 5:13 Lit that time
- Amos 5:15 I.e., the place where court was held
- Amos 5:16 Lit those who know mourning
- Amos 5:18 Lit will this be to you, the day
- Amos 5:19 Or Then
- Amos 5:21 Lit like to smell your
- Amos 5:25 Or You presented Me with the sacrifices and a grain offering
- Amos 5:26 Or Sakkuth (Saturn), or the tabernacle of your Moloch
- Amos 5:26 Or Kaiwan (Saturn), or stands of
- Amos 5:26 Or your star gods
Amos 5
King James Version
5 Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.
2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.
3 For thus saith the Lord God; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
4 For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:
5 But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.
6 Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.
7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:
9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.
10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
11 Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.
12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.
13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord.
18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
22 Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
25 Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts.
Amos 5
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 5
Funereal Chant
1 Listen to these words that I utter against you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, to rise no more,
the virgin Israel.
She lies forsaken on her own soil,
with no one to raise her up.
3 For thus says the Lord God:
The city that marched out to war with a thousand
will be left with a hundred;
and the one that marched out with a hundred
will have only ten left.
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
If you seek me, you will survive,
5 but do not go to Bethel.
Do not journey to Gilgal,
and do not cross over to Beer-sheba.
For Gilgal will surely be led into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.
6 Seek the Lord and you will live,
or else, like a fire,
he will sweep through the house of Joseph,
with no one able to quench the flames.
Hymn to God the Creator
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns heavy darkness into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who summons the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the surface of the earth,
9 who brings destruction on the strong
and ruin upon the fortress:
the Lord is his name.
7 Woe to those who turn justice to wormwood
and thrust righteousness to the ground.
Because You Crush the Weak
10 They hate the one who preaches justice at the city gate
and abhor the one who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore, because you have trampled upon the poor
and extorted levies on their wheat,
even though you have built houses of hewn stone,
you will never live in them;
although you have planted pleasant vineyards,
you will never drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your crimes
and how monstrous are your sins.
You oppress the innocent, accept bribes,
and push aside the destitute at the gates.
13 Therefore, the prudent man keeps silent in such a situation,
for it is an evil period.
Seek the Good So That You Will Live
14 Seek good and not evil,
so that you may live.
Then the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you
as you claim he is.
15 Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the city gate.
Then it is possible that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will show mercy to the remnant of Joseph.[a]
16 The Countryside Is Devastated. Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of hosts, the Almighty, has to say:
In every public square there will be lamentation;
in every street they will cry out, “Alas! Alas!”
They will summon the farmers to wail,
and the professional mourners to lament.
17 There will be wailing in every vineyard,
for I will pass through your midst,
says the Lord.
18 Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord.
What will this day of the Lord mean to you?
It will mean darkness, not light,
19 as if someone fled from a lion
and was met by a bear,
or entered his house
and rested his hand against the wall
and was bitten by a snake.
20 Will not the day of the Lord
be darkness, not light,
day of gloom without any brightness?
I Despise Your Feasts
21 I loathe, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me
your burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Nor will I look favorably
upon your stall-fed peace offerings.
23 Spare me the noise of your chanting;
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
24 Rather, let justice flow like a river,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
during those forty years in the desert,
O house of Israel?
26 You have lifted up Sakuth, your king,
and Kaiwan, your star god,
the images that you have made for yourselves.
27 Therefore, I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,
says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Footnotes
- Amos 5:15 The remnant of Joseph: the northern kingdom in its already decimated state.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
