Amos 5:18–6:7
18 Woe to you who long
for the day of the Lord!c
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?d
That day will be darkness,e not light.f
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,g
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.h
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,i not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?j
21 “I hate,k I despise your religious festivals;l
your assembliesm are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offeringsn and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.o
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.p
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.q
24 But let justicer roll on like a river,
righteousnesss like a never-failing stream!t
25 “Did you bring me sacrificesu and offerings
forty yearsv in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,w
the star of your godb—
which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exilex beyond Damascus,”
says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.y
6 Woe to youz who are complacenta in Zion,
and to you who feel secureb on Mount Samaria,c
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!d
2 Go to Kalnehe and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,f
and then go down to Gathg in Philistia.
Are they better off thanh your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3 You put off the day of disaster
and bring near a reign of terror.i
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.j
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.k
5 You strum away on your harpsl like David
and improvise on musical instruments.m
6 You drink winen by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieveo over the ruin of Joseph.p
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;q
your feasting and lounging will end.r