Amos 5

1Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel. 2She shall rise no more. there is no one to raise her up.” “The virgin of Israel has fallen; She is cast down on her land; 3and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, For thus says the Lord Yahweh: 4“Seek me, and you will live; For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: 5nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba: and Bethel shall come to nothing. but don’t seek Bethel, for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, 6lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel. Seek Yahweh, and you will live; 7and cast down righteousness to the earth: You who turn justice to wormwood, 8and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name, seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, 9so that destruction comes on the fortress. who brings sudden destruction on the strong, 10and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly. They hate him who reproves in the gate, 11and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. but you shall not drink their wine. Therefore, because you trample on the poor, You have planted pleasant vineyards, 12and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the courts. For I know how many your offenses, 13for it is an evil time. Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, 14that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say. Seek good, and not evil, 15and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” Hate evil, love good, 16and they will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing. “Wailing will be in all the wide ways; Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: 17for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh. In all vineyards there will be wailing; 18Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? and not light. “Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! It is darkness, 19and a bear met him; and a snake bit him. As if a man fled from a lion, Or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, 20Even very dark, and no brightness in it? Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? 21and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies. I hate, I despise your feasts, 22I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals. Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, 23I will not listen to the music of your harps. Take away from me the noise of your songs! 24and righteousness like a mighty stream. But let justice roll on like rivers, 25“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel? 26You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves. 27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.