Amos 5 Parallel Bible Translations

Amos 5 ▼
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1 Hear this word which I take up for you as a funeral song, O house of Israel: Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel: Hear this word, Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:
2 She has fallen, she will not rise again— The virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is no one to raise her up. “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up.” “Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up.”
3 For thus says the Lord GOD, “The city which goes forth a thousand strong Will have a hundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred strong Will have ten left to the house of Israel.” For thus says the Lord GOD: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.” This is what the Sovereign LORD says to Israel: “Your city that marches out a thousand strong will have only a hundred left; your town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left.”
4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, “Seek Me [search diligently for Me and regard Me as more essential than food] so that you may live. For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live; This is what the LORD says to Israel: “Seek me and live;
5 “But do not resort to Bethel [to worship the golden calf] Nor enter [idolatrous] Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba [and its idols]; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity and exile, And Bethel will come to nothing. but 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.” do 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.”
6 “Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and long for Him as your most essential need] so that you may live, Or He will rush down like a [devouring] fire, O house of Joseph, And there will be no one to quench the flame for [idolatrous] Bethel, 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, Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.
7 For those [shall be consumed] who turn justice into wormwood (bitterness) And cast righteousness down to the earth.” O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth! There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
8 He who made the [cluster of stars called] Pleiades and [the constellation] Orion, Who 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. He 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; He 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.
9 It is He who causes [sudden] destruction to flash forth on the strong So that destruction comes on the fortress. who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress. With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold and brings the fortified city to ruin.
10 They hate the one who reprimands [the unrighteous] in the [court held at the city] gate [regarding him as unreasonable and rejecting his reprimand], And they detest him who speaks [the truth] with integrity and honesty. They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth.
11 Therefore, because you impose heavy rent on the poor And demand a tribute (food-tax) of grain from them, Though you have built [luxurious] houses of square stone, You will not live in them; You have planted beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink their wine. Therefore 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. You 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.
12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great (shocking, innumerable), You who distress the righteous and take bribes, And turn away from the poor in the [court of the city] gate [depriving them of justice]. For 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. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore, he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of good character]. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
14 Seek (long for, require) good and not evil, that you may live; And so may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said! 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. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil and love good, And establish justice in the [court of the city] gate. Perhaps the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [that is, those who remain after God’s judgment]. 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. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, “There is wailing in all the public plazas, And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ And they call the farmers to mourning [for those who have died] And professional mourners to wailing. Therefore 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, Therefore 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.
17 “And in all vineyards there is wailing, For I will pass through your midst [in judgment],” says the LORD. and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD. There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.
18 Woe (judgment is coming) to you who desire the day of the LORD [expecting rescue from the Gentiles]! Why would you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness (judgment) and not light [and rescue and prosperity]; Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, Woe 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.
19 It is as if a man runs from a lion [escaping one danger] And a bear meets him [so he dies anyway], Or goes home, and leans with his hand against the wall And a snake bites him. 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. It 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.
20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, instead of light, Even very dark with no brightness in it? Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 “I hate, I despise and reject your [sacred] feasts, And I do not take delight in your solemn assemblies. “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 “Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened animals. 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. Even 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.
23 “Take the noise of your songs away from Me [they are an irritation]! I shall not even listen to the melody of your harps. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 “But let justice run down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly]. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
25 “Did you bring Me sacrifices and grain offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? [Certainly not!] “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? “Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You carried along your king Sikkuth and Kayyun [your man-made gods of Saturn], your images of your star-god which you made for yourselves [but you brought Me none of the appointed sacrifices]. You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god — which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore, I will send you to go into exile far beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.
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