Amós 5
Bible in Basic English
1Give ear to this word, my song of sorrow over you, O children of Israel.
2The virgin of Israel has been made low, never again to be lifted up: she is stretched out by herself on her land; there is no one to put her on her feet again.
3For these are the words of the Lord God: The town which was able to send out a thousand, will have only a hundred; and that which sent out a hundred, will have only ten, in Israel.
4For these are the words of the Lord to the children of Israel: Let your hearts be turned to me, so that you may have life:
5Do not be looking for help to Beth-el, and do not go to Gilgal, or make your way to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal will certainly be taken prisoner, and Beth-el will come to nothing.
6Go to the Lord for help so that you may have life; for fear that he may come like fire bursting out in the family of Joseph, causing destruction, and there will be no one to put it out in Beth-el.
7You who make the work of judging a bitter thing, crushing down righteousness to the earth;
8Go for help to him who makes Orion and the Pleiades, by whom the deep dark is turned into morning, who makes the day black with night; whose voice goes out to the waters of the sea, sending them out over the face of the earth: the Lord is his name;
9Who sends sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the walled town.
10They have hate for him who makes protest against evil in the public place, and he whose words are upright is disgusting to them.
11So because the poor man is crushed under your feet, and you take taxes from him of grain: you have made for yourselves houses of cut stone, but you will not take your rest in them; the fair vine-gardens planted by your hands will not give you wine.
12For I have seen how your evil-doing is increased and how strong are your sins, you troublers of the upright, who take rewards and do wrong to the cause of the poor in the public place.
13So the wise will say nothing in that time; for it is an evil time.
14Go after good and not evil, so that life may be yours: and so the Lord, the God of armies, will be with you, as you say.
15Be haters of evil and lovers of good, and let right be done in the public place: it may be that the Lord, the God of armies, will have mercy on the rest of Joseph.
16So these are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the Lord: There will be weeping in all the open spaces; and in all the streets they will say, Sorrow! sorrow! and they will get in the farmer to the weeping, and the makers of sad songs to give cries of grief.
17In all the vine-gardens there will be cries of grief: for I will go through among you, says the Lord.
18Sorrow to you who are looking for the day of the Lord! what is the day of the Lord to you? it is dark and not light.
19As if a man, running away from a lion, came face to face with a bear; or went into the house and put his hand on the wall and got a bite from a snake.
20Will not the day of the Lord be dark and not light? even very dark, with no light shining in it?
21Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.
22Even if you give me your burned offerings and your meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: I will have nothing to do with the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.
24But let the right go rolling on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25Did you come to me with offerings of beasts and meal offerings in the waste land for forty years, O Israel?
26Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
27And I will send you away as prisoners farther than Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
Reina-Valera 1909
1OID esta palabra, porque yo levanto endecha sobre vosotros, casa de Israel.
2Cayó la virgen de Israel, no más podrá levantarse; dejada fué sobre su tierra, no hay quien la levante.
3Porque así ha dicho el Señor Jehová: La ciudad que sacaba mil, quedará con ciento; y la que sacaba ciento, quedará con diez, en la casa de Israel.
4Empero así dice Jehová á la casa de Israel: Buscadme, y viviréis;
5Y no busquéis á Beth-el ni entréis en Gilgal, ni paséis á Beer-seba: porque Gilgal será llevada en cautiverio, y Beth-el será deshecha.
6Buscad á Jehová, y vivid; no sea que hienda, como fuego, á la casa de José, y la consuma, sin haber en Beth-el quien lo apague.
7Los que convierten en ajenjo el juicio, y dejan en tierra la justicia,
8Miren al que hace el Arcturo y el Orión, y las tinieblas vuelve en mañana, y hace oscurecer el día en noche; el que llama á las aguas de la mar, y las derrama sobre la haz de la tierra: Jehová es su nombre:
9Que da esfuerzo al despojador sobre el fuerte, y que el despojador venga contra la fortaleza.
10Ellos aborrecieron en la puerta al reprensor, y al que hablaba lo recto abominaron.
11Por tanto, pues que vejáis al pobre y recibís de él carga de trigo; edificasteis casas de sillares, mas no las habitaréis; plantasteis hermosas viñas, mas no beberéis el vino de ellas.
12Porque sabido he vuestras muchas rebeliones, y vuestros grandes pecados: que afligen al justo, y reciben cohecho, y á los pobres en la puerta hacen perder su causa.
13Por tanto, el prudente en tal tiempo calla, porque el tiempo es malo.
14Buscad lo bueno, y no lo malo, para que viváis; porque así Jehová Dios de los ejércitos será con vosotros, como decís.
15Aborreced el mal, y amad el bien, y poned juicio en la puerta: quizá Jehová, Dios de los ejércitos, tendrá piedad del remanente de José.
16Por tanto, así ha dicho Jehová Dios de los ejércitos, el Señor: En todas las plazas habrá llanto, y en todas las calles dirán, ¡Ay! ¡ay! y al labrador llamarán á lloro, y á endecha á los que endechar supieren.
17Y en todas las viñas habrá llanto; porque pasaré por medio de ti, dice Jehová.
18¡Ay de los que desean el día de Jehová! ¿para qué queréis este día de Jehová? Será de tinieblas, y no luz:
19Como el que huye de delante del león, y se topa con el oso; ó si entrare en casa y arrimare su mano á la pared, y le muerda la culebra.
20¿No será el día de Jehová tinieblas, y no luz; oscuridad, que no tiene resplandor?
21Aborrecí, abominé vuestras solemnidades, y no me darán buen olor vuestras asambleas.
22Y si me ofreciereis holocaustos y vuestros presentes, no los recibiré; ni miraré á los pacíficos de vuestros engordados.
23Quita de mí la multitud de tus cantares, que no escucharé las salmodias de tus instrumentos.
24Antes corra el juicio como las aguas, y la justicia como impetuoso arroyo.
25¿Habéisme ofrecido sacrificios y presentes en el desierto en cuarenta años, casa de Israel?
26Mas llevabais el tabernáculo de vuestro Moloch y Chiún, ídolos vuestros, la estrella de vuestros dioses que os hicisteis.
27Hareos pues trasportar más allá de Damasco, ha dicho Jehová, cuyo nombre es Dios de los ejércitos.
King James Version
1Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.
2The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.
3For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.
4For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:
5But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el 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 Beth-el.
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.
15Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
17And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.
18Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
19As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
21I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
22Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.
23Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
24But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
25Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.
World English Bible
1Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel:
2“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up.”
3For the Lord GOD says: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”
4For the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;
5but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
6Seek the LORD, and you will live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.
7You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with 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 brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.
10They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.
11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and take taxes from him of wheat, you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
12For I know how many are your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.
13Therefore a prudent person keeps 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 Armies, will be with you, as you say.
15Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that the LORD, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
16Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.
17In all vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through the middle of you,” says the LORD.
18“Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light.
19As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.
20Won’t the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?
21I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies.
22Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
25“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?
26You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
27Therefore I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Armies.