Amos 5:4-14
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!
King James Version
Chapter 5
4For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: 5But 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. 6Seek 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. 7Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth, 8Seek 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: 9That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. 10They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. 11Forasmuch 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. 12For 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. 13Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. 14Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.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.
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.
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.”
6Seek 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;
9who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10They 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.
14Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.
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.
New King James Version
