Amos 5

1Hear this word, a lament that I take up over you, house of Israel:

2Fallen, never to rise again, is virgin Israel; she lies abandoned on her land, with no one to lift her up.

3For this is what Lord Yahweh says: The city that marches out a thousand strong will have a hundred left, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have ten left for the house of Israel.

4For this is what Yahweh says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live.

5Do not seek Bethel; do not go to Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.

6Seek Yahweh and live, or he will break out like fire against the house of Joseph; it will consume, and there will be no one to put it out for Bethel.

7You who turn justice into bitterness and throw righteousness to the ground—

8he who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns deep darkness into morning and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth—Yahweh is his name.

9He flashes destruction on the strong, and destruction comes upon the fortress.

10They hate the one who reproves at the city gate, and they despise the one who speaks with integrity.

11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take a levy of grain from them, though you have built houses of cut stone, you will not live in them; though you have planted lovely vineyards, you will not drink their wine.

12For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins—you who oppress the innocent, who take bribes, and who turn away the needy at the gate.

13Therefore the prudent person keeps silent at such a time, for it is an evil time.

14Seek good and not evil, so that you may live. Then Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, just as you say he is.

15Hate evil and love good; establish justice at the gate. Perhaps Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16Therefore this is what Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: There will be wailing in all the squares, and in all the streets they will cry, “Alas! Alas!” They will call the farmers to mourn and the professional mourners to wail.

17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst, says Yahweh.

18Woe to you who long for the day of Yahweh! Why would you want the day of Yahweh? It will be darkness, not light.

19It will be as if someone fled from a lion only to meet a bear, then went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.

20Will not the day of Yahweh be darkness and not light, pitch dark with no brightness in it?

21I hate, I despise your festivals; I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22Even if you offer me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened animals.

23Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the music of your harps.

24But let justice roll on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings for forty years in the wilderness, house of Israel?

26You have carried Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

27So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus, says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.