Amos 5:4-15
Christian Standard Bible
Seek God and Live
4 For the Lord says to the house of Israel:
Seek me and live!(A)
5 Do not seek Bethel(B)
or go to Gilgal(C)
or journey to Beer-sheba,(D)
for Gilgal will certainly go into exile,
and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Seek the Lord(E) and live,
or he will spread like fire(F)
throughout the house of Joseph;
it will consume everything
with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.(G)
7 Those who turn justice into wormwood(H)
also throw righteousness to the ground.
8 The one who made the Pleiades and Orion,(I)
who turns darkness[a] into dawn(J)
and darkens day into night,(K)
who summons the water of the sea(L)
and pours it out over the surface of the earth(M)—
the Lord is his name.(N)
9 He brings destruction[b] on the strong,[c](O)
and it falls on the fortress.(P)
10 They hate the one who convicts the guilty(Q)
at the city gate,
and they despise(R) the one who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor(S)
and exact a grain tax from him,
you will never live in the houses of cut stone(T)
you have built;
you will never drink the wine
from the lush vineyards
you have planted.(U)
12 For I know your crimes are many
and your sins innumerable.
They oppress the righteous,(V) take a bribe,
and deprive the poor of justice(W) at the city gates.
13 Therefore, those who have insight will keep silent[d](X)
at such a time,
for the days are evil.
14 Pursue good and not evil
so that you may live,
and the Lord, the God of Armies,
will be with you
as you have claimed.(Y)
15 Hate evil and love good;(Z)
establish justice at the city gate.(AA)
Perhaps the Lord, the God of Armies, will be gracious(AB)
to the remnant of Joseph.(AC)
Amos 5:4-15
Common English Bible
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.
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Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible