Amos 5:4–6:14
4 For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel, “Seek me so that you may live.” 5 But do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba, for Gilgal will certainly go into exile and Bethel will come to disaster.” 6 Seek Yahweh so that you may live, so that he will not break out like a fire against the house of Joseph! And it will devour, ⌊with none to quench⌋a it for Bethel. 7 Ah, you who turn justice into wormwood and hurl righteousness to the ground! 8 The one who made the Pleiades and Orion and who turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens day into night, the one who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name! 9 The one who makes destruction flash upon the fierce, ⌊so that⌋b destruction comes upon the fortification. 10 They hate the one who reproves in the gate and they abhor the one who speaks honestly. 11 Therefore, because you trample on the poor and you take a grain tax from them, you built houses of dressed stone, but you will not live in them. You built vineyards of delightfulness, but you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous, you foes of the righteous, those who take a bribe, and ⌊those who⌋c push aside the poor ones in the gate! 13 Therefore, whoever has insight will keep silent in that time, for it is a time of evil. 14 Seek good and not bad in order that you may live, and so Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. 15 Hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate; perhaps Yahweh, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. 16 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, my Lord, “In all of the public squares there will be wailing, and in all of the streets they will say, ‘Alas, alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing, to those who are skilled in lamentation. 17 And in all of the vineyards there will be wailing, because I will pass in your midst,” says Yahweh.
18 Alas, those who desire the day of Yahweh, why is this for you the day of Yahweh? It will be darkness and not light! 19 It will be as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him; or he went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall and a snake bit him. 20 Is not the day of Yahweh darkness and not light, and pitch dark with no brightness in it? 21 “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your assemblies. 22 Yes, even if you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, and I will not look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened animals. 23 Remove from me the noise of your songs, and I do not want to hear the melody of your harps! 24 But let justice roll on like the water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 25 Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings those forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? 26 And you will take up Sikkuth, your king, and Kaiwan, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 27 And I will deport you beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh—the God of hosts is his name.
6 Alas for those being at ease in Zion, and those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the best of the nations! The house of Israel resorts to them. 2 Cross over to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory? 3 You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence! 4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from the sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of the animal stall. 5 Alas for those who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music. 6 Alas for those who drink from sprinkling bowls of wine and anoint themselves with the best of olive oils and are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore, they shall now go into exile at the head of the exiles and the feast of lounging shall pass away.
8 My Lord Yahweh has sworn by himself, ⌊declares⌋a Yahweh, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and I hate his citadel fortresses and I will deliver the city and its fullness!” 9 And then if ten people remain in one house, they too will die. 10 And if one’s relative, who burns the body, lifts it up and brings the body out of the house and he will say to someone in the innermost part of the house, “Are there any more with you?” and he will say, “None,” then he will say, “Silence,” because we must not invoke the name of Yahweh. 11 Look, Yahweh is going to command and the great house will be destroyed to bits and the little house to pieces. 12 Do horses run on rocks, or does one plow the sea with oxen?b But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood! 13 You who rejoice over Lo-Debar, who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves by our strength?” 14 Indeed, I am going to raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, ⌊declares⌋c Yahweh, the God of hosts. And they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath up to the wadi of the Arabah.