Amos 5:4-24
New American Standard Bible
5But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to nothing.
6Seek the Lord so that you may live, Or He will break through like a fire, house of Joseph, And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn justice into wormwood, And throw righteousness to the earth.'
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The Lord is His name.
9 It is He who makes destruction flash upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10They hate him who rebukes in the gate, And they despise him who speaks with integrity.
11Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And take a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of cut stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.
12For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great, You who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes, And turn away the poor from justice at the gate.
13Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.
14Seek good and not evil, so that you may live; And so may the Lord God of armies be with you, Just as you have said!
17And in all the vineyards there is mourning, Because I will pass through the midst of you,' says the Lord.
18Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light;
19As when a man flees from a lion And a bear confronts him, Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall, And a snake bites him.
20 Will the day of the Lord not be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21'I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies.
22Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened oxen.
23Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24But let justice roll out like waters, And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
King James Version
17And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord.
18Woe 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.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 5
4For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live! 5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal or journey to Beer-sheba, for Gilgal will certainly go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing. 6Seek the Lord and live, or he will spread like fire throughout the house of Joseph; it will consume everything with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
7Those who turn justice into wormwood also throw righteousness to the ground.
8The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the water of the sea and pours it out over the surface of the earth — the Lord is his name.
9He brings destruction on the strong, and it falls on the fortress.
10They hate the one who convicts the guilty at the city gate, and they despise the one who speaks with integrity.
11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.
12For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable. They oppress the righteous, take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice at the city gates.
13Therefore, those who have insight will keep silent 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.
15Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the city gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore the Lord, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: There will be wailing in all the public squares; they will cry out in anguish in all the streets. The farmer will be called on to mourn, and professional mourners to wail.
17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass among you. The Lord has spoken.
18Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! What will the day of the Lord be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
19It will be like a man who flees from a lion 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, even gloom without any brightness in it?
21I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
22Even if you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.
New Living Translation
Chapter 5
4Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: 'Come back to me and live! 5Don’t worship at the pagan altars at Bethel; don’t go to the shrines at Gilgal or Beersheba. For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile, and the people of Bethel will be reduced to nothing.' 6Come back to the Lord and live! Otherwise, he will roar through Israel like a fire, devouring you completely. Your gods in Bethel won’t be able to quench the flames. 7You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the righteous like dirt.
8It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name!
9With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all their defenses.
10How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth!
11You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them.
12For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.
14Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.
15Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.
16Therefore, this is what the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says: 'There will be crying in all the public squares and mourning in every street. Call for the farmers to weep with you, and summon professional mourners to wail.
17There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will destroy them all,' says the Lord.
18What sorrow awaits you who say, 'If only the day of the Lord were here!' You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light.
19In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion — only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house — and he’s bitten by a snake.
20Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope.
21'I hate all your show and pretense — the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.
22I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.
23Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
English Standard Version
5but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing."
6 Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
7O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name;
9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
12For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins — you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.
13Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst," says the Lord.
18Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light,
19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
New International Version
Chapter 5
4This is what the Lord says to Israel: "Seek me and live; 5do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. "
7There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land— the Lord is his name.
10There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth.
11You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.
13Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
14Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
15Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says: "There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail.
17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst," says the Lord.
18Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light.
19It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.
20Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.
22Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.
23Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
New King James Version
Chapter 5
4For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live; 5But do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing. 6 Seek the Lord and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel— 7You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!” 8He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name. 9He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress. 10 They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly. 11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them. 12For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate. 13Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time. 14Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken. 15 Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this: “ There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmer to mourning, And skillful lamenters to wailing.
17In all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you,” Says the Lord.
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.
19It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?
21“I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
