AMOS 5 [†]Hear this word that I  k take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:

2[†] “Fallen, no more to rise,

is  l the virgin Israel;

forsaken on her land,

with none to raise her up.”

3For 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.”

4[†]For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:

 m “Seek me and live;

5[†] but do not seek  n Bethel,

and do not enter into  n Gilgal

or cross over to  o Beersheba;

for  n Gilgal shall surely go into exile,

and  n Bethel shall come to nothing.”

6[†]  m Seek the LORD and live,

 p lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,

and it devour, with none to quench it for  n Bethel,

7[†] O  q you who turn justice to wormwood [1]

and cast down righteousness to the earth!

8[†] He who made the  r Pleiades and Orion,

and turns deep darkness into the morning

and  s darkens the day into night,

who  t calls for the waters of the sea

 t and pours them out on the surface of the earth,

 u the LORD is his name;

9  v who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,

so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10[†]  w They hate him who reproves  x in the gate,

and they  y abhor him who speaks the truth.

11[†] Therefore because you  z trample on [2] the poor

and you exact taxes of grain from him,

 a you have built houses of hewn stone,

but you shall not dwell in them;

 a you have planted pleasant vineyards,

but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many are your transgressions

and how great are your sins—

you who afflict the righteous, who  b take a bribe,

and  c turn aside the needy  x in the gate.

13[†] Therefore he who is prudent will  d keep silent in such a time,

 e for it is an evil time.

14[†]  f Seek good, and not evil,

that you may live;

and so the LORD,  g the God of hosts, will be with you,

as you have said.

15  h Hate evil, and love good,

and establish justice  x in the gate;

 i it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,

will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16[†]Therefore thus says the LORD,  g the God of hosts, the Lord:

“In all the squares  j there shall be wailing,

and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’

They shall call the farmers to mourning

and  j to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,

17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,

for  k I will pass through your midst,”

says the LORD.

18[^][†] Woe to you who desire  l the day of the LORD!

Why would you have the day of the LORD?

 m It is darkness, and not light,

19  n 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.

20  m Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,

and gloom with no brightness in it?

21[†]  o “I hate, I despise your feasts,

and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22[†]  p 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.

23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;

to  q the melody of your harps I will not listen.

24[†] But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25[†] r “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 s You  t shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27[^][†] u and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is  g the God of hosts.