Amos

Speaks against injustice and predicts Israel's punishment but ends with hope for restoration.

Chapter 5

1 Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.

*Listen to these words I am saying against you, a sad song, O people 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.

*The Israel virgin has fallen and won't get up again; she's left alone on her land, with nobody to help her.

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.

*So says the Lord God: The city that grew to a thousand will shrink to a hundred, and the one that was big with a hundred will become small with ten, for the people of Israel.

4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

*So says the Lord to the people of Israel, "Look for me, and you will 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.

*Don't look for Bethel or go to Gilgal; avoid Beersheba too. Gilgal will be captured, and Bethel will be destroyed.

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.

*Look for God, and you will live; don't let Him unleash His anger like a fire, destroying the home of Joseph, with no one to put it out in Bethel.

7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

*You who change fairness into bitterness and stop being just on 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:

*Look for the one who creates the seven stars and Orion, changes the shadow of death into morning light, and makes day turn to night. The one who calls on the waters of the sea and pours them onto the Earth. His name is the Lord.

9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

*That helps those who are weak to stand up to the powerful, so that the weak can attack the stronghold.

10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

*People dislike those who correct others in public and despise those who speak truthfully.

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.

*Since you are walking on the poor and taking away their wheat loads, you built houses with cut stones, but you cannot live in them. You also planted lovely grape gardens, but you won't get to enjoy the wine from 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.

*I am aware of your many wrongdoings and powerful sins: they harm the righteous, accept bribes, and push away the poor at the entrance, denying them justice.

13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.

*So during this difficult period, wise people will stay quiet; because it's a bad 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.

*Look for goodness, not badness, to live a good life; then, God will be with you, just like you said.

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.

*Dislike bad things and like good things, and make fair decisions when people gather for help. This might make the powerful God kind to the remaining people of Joseph's family.

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.

*So, God says that everyone will be sad and cry in every street and road. They'll ask farmers to be sad and people who know how to mourn to cry even more.

17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

*In all grape gardens, there will be crying and sadness, because the Lord will go through that place.

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.

*Oh no, those who long for the day of God! What good does it bring you? The day of God is darkness, 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.

*If a person runs away from a lion and encounters a bear, or goes inside a house, leans on the wall, and gets bitten by a snake.

20 Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

*Will not the Lord's day be dark, with no light? It will be extremely dark, with no brightness at all.

21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

*I dislike and reject your special days, and won't be present at your important gatherings.

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.

*Even if you give me burned sacrifices or food offerings, I won't accept them. I also won't pay attention to your peace offerings made with fattened animals.

23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

*Remove your music's loud sounds from me; I won't listen to your instrument's pleasant tones.

24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

*But let fairness flow like water, and justice like a powerful river.

25 Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

*Did you give me sacrifices and offerings in the desert for forty years, Israel's family?

26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

*But you carried the shelter for your false god Moloch and your image of Chiun, the star you made for yourself.

27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.

*So, I will make you be taken as a prisoner far past Damascus, says the Lord, who is called the God of armies.

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