Amos 5

₁People of Israel, listen to what I say.

I cry and mourn for you

like people mourn for someone who has died.

₂The people of Israel have fallen

and they will not get up again.

They have fallen in their own land,

and there is no one who helps them

to get up and stand.

‘If 1 000 soldiers of Israel from one town go to war,

then 900 of them will die.

If 100 men go, then 90 will die.’

‘You must ask Me what I want you to do,

and then you will live.

₅Do not go and ask in the town of Bethel,

and don't go to the town of Gilgal.

Do not go further to the town of Beersheba.

The enemies will catch the people of Gilgal

and take them to another land

and they will destroy Bethel.’

₆Ask the Lord what He wants,

and then you will live.

If you don't do that,

He will send fire to burn the descendants of Joseph.

There will be no one in Bethel

who can put out the fire.

₇You don't do what is right to people,

and you make them suffer.

₈It is the Lord who has made the stars in the sky.

He made the Pleiades and Orion.

He changes darkness into light

and He takes away the light to make it dark.

He is the One who brings the clouds from the sea

and makes it rain on land.

His name is the Lord.

₉The Lord kills strong men very quickly.

He makes strong walls fall down.

₁₀You hate people who are fair in court

or who are witnesses against someone

who has done wrong.

You do not like people who speak the truth.

₁₁You trample on poor people,

and you take their wheat.

That is why you will not live in the houses

that you have built with stones,

that you have cut beautifully.

You will not drink the wine

from the beautiful vineyards

that you have planted.

₁₂I know how many your sins are,

and I know how big they are.

You are enemies of anyone who does what is right.

You take bribe money to do wrong,

and you are not fair to poor people.

₁₃This is why wise people

are keeping quiet in these bad times.

₁₄You must try to do good, not bad,

and then you will live, and then

the Lord, the God who rules over all,

will be with you, like you say He is.

₁₅You must hate what is bad

and love things that are good.

Do what is right in court when you judge people.

Then maybe the Lord,

the God who rules over all,

will feel sorry for you,

the descendants of Joseph who are still_alive.

₁₆Yes, the Lord is the God who rules over all.

He says: ‘The people will cry and mourn

in all the streets

and in all the market places in the city.

They will call the farmers to come and cry

with the other people whom they pay

to mourn with them

for all the people who have died.

₁₇They will mourn in all the vineyards

because I am coming to punish you.’

₁₈‘There are people who hope

that the day_of_the_Lord will come soon.

Those people will suffer.

Why do you wish

that the day_of_the_Lord will come soon?

On that day it will be dark.

There will be no light.

₁₉It will be like when someone runs away from a lion

and then he runs into a bear,

or when someone comes home

and puts his hand against the wall,

and then a snake bites him.

₂₀It will be dark on the day_of_the_Lord,

and there will be no light.

That day will be black, and no light will shine.’

₂₁‘I hate your feasts,

and I do not want your celebrations.

I do not like your holy days.

₂₂You bring Me burnt-offerings and grain-offerings,

but I don't want that.

I don't want to look at the fat animals

that you bring for meal-offerings.

₂₃When you sing, it does not sound beautiful to Me.

You are only making a noise.

Stop your singing. I do not want to listen

when you make music with a harp.

₂₄I want you to do right to people.

You must keep on doing it,

like a river that is always full of water.

₂₅Israelites, when you were in the desert for 40 years,

you did not sacrifice animals or wheat to Me.

₂₆Now you will have to carry with you

the gods that you made,

the ones you named Sikkuth and Kiyyun.

₂₇Your enemies will catch you

and they will take you away to places

on the other side of the city of Damascus.’