Amos 5

Lamentation for Israel

1Listen to this message that I am singing for you, a lament, # 5:1 Jr 7:29; 9:10,17; Ezk 19:1 house of Israel:

2She has fallen;

Virgin Israel # 5:2 Jr 14:17; 31:4,21 will never rise again. # 5:2 Am 8:14

She lies abandoned on her land

with no one to raise her up. # 5:2 Is 51:18

3For the Lord God says:

The city that marches out a thousand strong

will have only a hundred left, # 5:3 Is 6:13

and the one that marches out a hundred strong

will have only ten left # 5:3 Am 6:9 in the house of Israel.

Seek God and Live

4For the Lord says to the house of Israel:

Seek me and live! # 5:4 Dt 4:29; 32:46–47

5Do not seek Bethel # 5:5 1Kg 12:28–29

or go to Gilgal # 5:5 1Sm 7:16; 11:14

or journey to Beer-sheba, # 5:5 Gn 21:31–33

for Gilgal will certainly go into exile,

and Bethel will come to nothing.

6Seek the Lord # 5:6 Is 55:3,6–7 and live,

or he will spread like fire # 5:6 Dt 4:24; 32:22; Heb 12:29

throughout the house of Joseph;

it will consume everything

with no one at Bethel to extinguish it. # 5:6 Is 33:14; 66:24; Jr 4:4

7Those who turn justice into wormwood # 5:7 Am 6:12

also throw righteousness to the ground.

8The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, # 5:8 Jb 9:9; 38:31

who turns darkness # 5:8 Or turns the shadow of death into dawn # 5:8 Gn 1:2–3; Jb 38:12

and darkens day into night, # 5:8 Am 8:9

who summons the water of the sea # 5:8 Ps 104:6–9; Jr 10:13

and pours it out over the surface of the earth # 5:8 Jb 36:27–30 —

the Lord is his name. # 5:8 Am 4:13; 9:5–6

9He brings destruction # 5:9 Hb obscure on the strong, # 5:9 Or stronghold,# 5:9 Is 29:5

and it falls on the fortress. # 5:9 Mc 5:11

10They hate the one who convicts the guilty # 5:10 Is 29:21

at the city gate,

and they despise # 5:10 Is 59:15 the one who speaks with integrity.

11Therefore, because you trample on the poor # 5:11 Am 3:9; 8:6; Jms 1:27

and exact a grain tax from him,

you will never live in the houses of cut stone # 5:11 Am 3:15; 6:11

you have built;

you will never drink the wine

from the lush vineyards

you have planted. # 5:11 Dt 28:30; Mc 6:15; Zph 1:13

12For I know your crimes are many

and your sins innumerable.

They oppress the righteous, # 5:12 Is 1:23; 5:23 take a bribe,

and deprive the poor of justice # 5:12 Am 2:6–7 at the city gates.

13Therefore, those who have insight will keep silent # 5:13 Or who are prudent will perish,# 5:13 Ec 3:7; Hs 4:4

at such a time,

for the days are evil.

14Pursue good and not evil

so that you may live,

and the Lord, the God of Armies,

will be with you

as you have claimed. # 5:14 Is 48:1–2

15Hate evil and love good; # 5:15 Rm 12:9

establish justice at the city gate. # 5:15 Is 1:17

Perhaps the Lord, the God of Armies, will be gracious # 5:15 Jl 2:14

to the remnant of Joseph. # 5:15 Mc 3:5,7–8

16Therefore the Lord, the God of Armies, the Lord, says:

There will be wailing in all the public squares; # 5:16 Jr 9:10,18–20; Am 8:3

they will cry out in anguish # 5:16 Lit will say, “Alas! Alas! ” in all the streets.

The farmer will be called on to mourn, # 5:16 Jl 1:11

and professional mourners # 5:16 Lit and those skilled in lamentation,# 5:16 Jr 9:17 to wail.

17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, # 5:17 Is 16:10; Jr 48:33

for I will pass among you. # 5:17 Ex 12:12

The Lord has spoken.

The Day of the Lord

18Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! # 5:18 Is 5:19; Jl 1:15; 2:1,11,31

What will the day of the Lord be for you?

It will be darkness and not light. # 5:18 Is 5:30

19It will be like a man who flees from a lion # 5:19 Jb 20:24; Is 24:17; Jr 15:2–3

only to have a bear confront him.

He goes home and rests his hand against the wall

only to have a snake bite him.

20Won’t the day of the Lord

be darkness rather than light, # 5:20 Is 13:10; Zph 1:15

even gloom without any brightness in it? # 5:20 Jl 2:2; Zph 1:15

21I hate, I despise, your feasts! # 5:21 Is 1:11–16; 66:3; Am 6:8

I can’t stand the stench

of your solemn assemblies. # 5:21 Lv 26:31; Jr 14:12; Hs 5:6

22Even if you offer me

your burnt offerings and grain offerings, # 5:22 Mc 6:6–7

I will not accept them; # 5:22 Jr 14:12

I will have no regard

for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle. # 5:22 Lv 7:11–15

23Take away from me the noise of your songs!

I will not listen to the music of your harps. # 5:23 Is 5:12

24But let justice flow like water,

and righteousness, like an unfailing stream. # 5:21–24 Mc 6:6–8

25“House of Israel, was it sacrifices and grain offerings that you presented to me during the forty years in the wilderness? # 5:25 Dt 32:17; Jos 24:14; Neh 9:18–21; Ac 7:42–43 26But you have taken up # 5:26 Or you will lift up Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, # 5:26 LXX reads taken up the tent of Molech and the star of your god Rephan; Ac 7:43 images you have made for yourselves. # 5:26 Is 44:12–20 27So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus.” # 5:25–27 2Kg 17:5–6; Ac 7:42–43 The Lord, the God of Armies, is his name. # 5:27 Am 4:13 He has spoken.

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Amos 5: CSB

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Amos 5

1Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a kinah (lamentation), O Bais Yisroel.

2The Betulat Yisroel is fallen;

she shall no more rise;

she is forsaken in her own land;

there is none to raise her up.

3For thus saith Adonoi Hashem:

The city that went out by a thousand

will be left a hundred,

and that which went forth by an hundred

will be left ten, for Bais Yisroel.

4For thus saith Hashem unto Bais Yisroel:

Seek ye Me, and live;

5But seek not Beit-El,

nor enter into Gilgal,

and pass not to Be'er-Sheva;

for Gilgal shall surely go into golus,

and Beit-El shall come to naught.

6Seek Hashem, and live;

lest He break out like eish in Bais Yosef,

and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beit-El.

7Ye who turn mishpat into wormwood,

and cast tzedakah to the ground.

8Seek Him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion,

and turneth tzalmavet into boker,

and maketh the yom into lailah;

that calleth for the waters of the yam,

and poureth them out upon the face of ha'aretz;

Hashem Shmo;

9Who causeth shod (destruction) to flash upon the strong,

and shod upon the fortified city.

10They hate the mochiach (reprover) [of injustice] in the gate,

and they abhor him that speaketh tamim (uprightly).

11Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor,

and ye take from him burdens of wheat;

ye have built batim (houses) of hewn stone,

but ye shall not dwell in them;

ye have planted pleasant kramim (vineyards),

but ye shall not drink yayin of them.

12For I have da'as of your manifold peysha'im

and your mighty chattaim (sins);

they afflict the tzaddik, they take a bribe,

and they turn aside the poor in the sha'ar (gate, court) from their right.

13Therefore the maskil (prudent) shall keep silence in such times;

for it is an evil time.

14Seek tov, and not rah,

that ye may live;

and so Hashem Elohei Tzva'os shall be with you,

just as ye say He is.

15Hate the rah, and love the tov,

and establish mishpat in the sha'ar;

it may be that Hashem Elohei Tzava'os

will be gracious unto the she'erit Yosef.

16Therefore Hashem Adonoi Elohei Tzva'os saith thus:

Wailing shall be in all rechovot;

and they shall cry in all the public squares,

Alas! Alas! And they shall call the ikkar (farmer) to mourning,

and such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing.

17And in all kramim (vineyards) shall be wailing;

for I will pass through thee, saith Hashem.

18Hoy unto you that desire the Yom Hashem!

Why do ye seek it?

The Yom Hashem is choshech, and not ohr.

19As if a man did flee from an ari,

and a dov met him;

or went into the bais,

and leaned his hand on the kir (wall),

and a nachash bit him.

20Shall not the Yom Hashem be choshech, and not ohr?

Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21I hate, I despise your chagim (religious festivals),

and I do not savor your atzerot (solemn assemblies).

22Though ye offer Me olot

and your minchot, I will not accept them;

neither will I regard your choice shelamim (peace offerings).

23Take thou away from Me the noise of thy shirim (songs);

for I will not hear the melody of thy nevalim (harps).

24But let mishpat run down as mayim,

and tzedakah as a never failing stream.

25Did ye offer unto Me zevakhim and minchah in the midbar arba'im shanah, O Bais Yisroel? 26But ye have borne Sikkut your king and Kiyun your tzelamim, your star g-d, which ye made for yourselves. 27Therefore will I cause you to go into golus beyond Damascus, saith Hashem, Elohei Tzva'os Shmo.

THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE

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