1 HEAR ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.
2 The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.
3 For 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.
4 For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:
5 But 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.
6 Seek 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.
7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
8 Seek 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:
9 That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.
10 They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
11 Forasmuch 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.
12 For 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.
13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
15 Hate 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.
16 Therefore 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.
17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord.
18 Woe 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.
19 As 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.
20 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
22 Though 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.
23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
24 But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
25 Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26 But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.
27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts.

1Heare ye this word which I take vp against you, euen a lamentation, O house of Israel.

2The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise: she is forsaken vpon her land, there is none to raise her vp.

3For thus saith the Lord God, The citie that went out by a thousand, shall leaue an hundred, and that which went foorth by an hundred, shall leaue ten to the house of Israel.

4 For thus saith the Lord vnto the house of Israel, Seeke ye mee, and ye shall liue.

5But seeke not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal and passe not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely goe into captiuitie, and Bethel shal come to nought.

6Seeke the Lord, and ye shall liue, lest hee breake out like fire in the house of Ioseph and deuoure it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel,

7Ye who turne iudgment to wormwood, and leaue off righteousnesse in the earth:

8Seeke him that maketh the seuen starres and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day darke with night: that calleth for the waters of the Sea, and powreth them out vpon 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 fortresse.

10They hate him that rebuketh in the gate: and they abhorre him that speaketh vprightly.

11Forasmuch therfore as your treading is vpon the poore, and ye take from him burdens of wheate, ye haue built houses of hewen stone, but ye shall not dwell in them: yee haue planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drinke wine of them.

12For I know your manifold transgressions, and your mighty sinnes: they afflict the iust, they take a bribe, and they turne aside the poore in the gate from their right.

13Therefore the prudent shall keepe silence in that time, for it is an euill time.

14Seeke good and not euill, that ye may liue: and so the Lord, the God of hosts shall be with you, as yee haue spoken.

15Hate the euill, and loue the good, and establish iudgement in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hostes will bee gracious vnto the remnant of Ioseph.

16Therefore the Lord, the God of hostes, the Lord saith thus: Wailing shall be in all streets, and they shall say in all the high wayes, 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 passe through thee, saith the Lord.

18Woe vnto you that desire the day of the Lord: to what ende is it for you? the day of the Lord is darknes and not light.

19As if a man did flee from a lyon, and a beare 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 darkenes, and not light? euen very darke, and no brightnesse in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feast dayes, and I will not smell in your solemne 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 mee the noise of thy songs: for I will not heare the melodie of thy violes.

24But let iudgement run downe as waters, and righteousnesse as a mightie streame.

25Haue yee offered vnto mee sacrifices and offerings in the wildernesse fourtie yeeres, O house of Israel?

26But yee haue borne the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the starre of your god, which ye made to your selues.

27Therefore wil I cause you to go into captiuitie beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose Name is the God of hostes.

I == Jer 7:29 ; Ezek 19:1 ; 27:2

II == Acts 7:42-43

 

 

 

 

 

IV == 2nd Chr 15:2 ; Isa 55:3

V == Hos 4:15 ; 10:8 ; Amos 4:4 ; 8:14

VI == Amos 5:4

 

 

 

 

VIII == Ps 104:20 ; Job 9:9 ; 38:31 , 34

 

 

 

 

 

X == Gal 4:16

 

XI == Deut 28:30 , 38-39

 

 

 

 

XII == Isa 29:21 ; Amos 2:6-7

 

XIII == Eph 5:16

 

XIV == Mic 3:11

 

XV == Ex 32:30 ; 2nd Kings 19:4 ; Ps 34:14 ; 97:10 ; Joel 2:14 ; Rom 12:9

 

XVI == Jer 9:17

 

 

 

 

XVII == Ex 12:12 ; Nah 1:12

XVIII == Isa 5:19 ; Jer 17:15 ; 30:7 ; Ezek 12:22 , 27 ; Joel 2:2 ; Zeph 1:15 ; 2nd Peter 3:4

XIX == Jer 48:44

 

 

XXI == Lev 26:31 ; Jer 6:20

XXII == Isa 66:3 ; Mic 6:6-7

 

 

 

XXIV == Hos 6:6 ; Mic 6:8

 

XXV == Deut 32:17 ; Josh 24:14 ; Isa 43:23 ; Ezek 20:8 , 16 , 24 ; Acts 7:42-43

XXVI == 1st Kings 11:33

 

 

XXVII == 2nd Kings 17:6

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Hear this word which I utter over you, a lament, O house of Israel:

2 She is fallen, to rise no more, the virgin Israel; She lies abandoned upon her land, with no one to raise her up.

3 For thus says the Lord GOD: The city that marched out with a thousand shall be left without a hundred, Another that marched out with a hundred shall be left with ten, of the house of Israel.

4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: Seek me, that you may live,

5 but do not seek Bethel; Do not come to Gilgal, and do not cross to Beer-sheba. For Gilgal shall be led into exile, and Bethel shall become nought.

6 Seek the LORD, that you may live, lest he come upon the house of Joseph like a fire That shall consume, with none to quench it for the house of Israel:

7 Woe to those who turn judgment to wormwood and cast justice to the ground!

8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn, and darkens day into night; Who summons the waters of the sea, and pours them out upon the surface of the earth;

9 Who flashes destruction upon the strong, and brings ruin upon the fortress; whose name is LORD.

10 They hate him who reproves at the gate and abhor him who speaks the truth.

11 Therefore, because you have trampled upon the weak and exacted of them levies of grain, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, you shall not live in them! Though you have planted choice vineyards, you shall not drink their wine!

12 Yes, I know how many are your crimes, how grievous your sins: Oppressing the just, accepting bribes, repelling the needy at the gate!

13 Therefore the prudent man is silent at this time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim!

15 Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; Then it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: In every square there shall be lamentation, and in every street they shall cry, Alas! Alas! They shall summon the farmers to wail and professional mourners to lament,

17 And in every vineyard there shall be lamentation when I pass through your midst, says the LORD.

18 Woe to those who yearn for the day of the LORD! What will this day of the LORD mean for you? Darkness and not light!

19 As if a man went to flee from a lion, and a bear should meet him; Or as if on entering his house he were to rest his hand against the wall, and a snake should bite him.

20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness and not light, gloom without any brightness?

21 I hate, I spurn your feasts, I take no pleasure in your solemnities;

22 Your cereal offerings I will not accept, nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.

23 Away with your noisy songs! I will not listen to the melodies of your harps. But if you would offer me holocausts,

24 then let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.

25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings for forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?

26 You will carry away Sakkuth, your king, and Kaiwan, your star god, the images that you have made for yourselves;

27 For I will exile you beyond Damascus, say I, the LORD, the God of hosts by name.

V1-3 A lament over the fall of Israel

v 1. Amos calls Israel to hear the lament over her death. She was in the height of prosperity under Jeroboam, but judgment was as certain as if she were already dead.

v 2. Israel was in the bloom of youth, but was cut off before her time by violent death, and no one could raise her up, because God had abandoned her.

v 3. An army could still fight at 50% loss, but their cities would have 90% loss.

V 4-9 Another appeal to turn to God

v 4,5. The nation would be destroyed, but God calls for individual repentance. They were not to go to the three improper worship centers, Beersheba was in Judah. Amos changes Bethel, house of God, to Hebrew "Beth Aven" , house of idols. BUT SEEK NOT BETHEL: Bethel, Gilgal, Bersabee: the places where they worshipped their idols.

v 6. They were not to seek the Lord in ritual worship but in sincerity. They would then be the remnant when the invader swept through the Northern Kingdom. HOUSE OF JOSEPH: the kingdom of Israel or northern kingdom, the chief tribes of which were descended from Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph; Amos 5:15; 6:6.

v 7. Courts had become a place of bitterness and injustice, righteousness ignored

v 8,9. A call to seek the One who controls all the cycles of the earth and nature. ARCTURUS AND ORINON: Arcturus is a bright star in the north: Orion a beautiful constellation in the south. Yahweh is His name and nothing could challenge His judgment or destruction. WITH A SMILE: That is, with all ease, and without making any effort.

V 10-27 Another denunciation of their evil ways

v 10 AT THE GATE: Psalm 127:5.

v 10-13. This elaborates on the injustices of verse 7. They hated those who used righteous witness. By manipulating the legal system, rich took land from the poor and built big houses from the oppressive rent they charged. But they would be put out of their big houses and not receive fruit from their vineyards or fields. God had seen how they afflicted the just, took bribes and many decided it was prudent to just keep quiet

v 14,15. Individuals could still seek good, not evil. If they would hate evil and establish justice in the courts, God would have mercy on that remnant of Israel.

v 16,17. God would decimate the unrighteous as in v 3, so that there would not be enough professional mourners, and farmers would be called in to mourn. Instead of dancing in the vineyards there would be wailing when the Lord passed through.

v 18-26 seem to indicate that some was willing to turn and offer sacrifices to God instead of the Calf, But Amos wanted reformation in their manner of life not sacrifices.

v 18. Woe was a pronouncement of death on the living. They thought on the day of the Lord, God would destroy their enemies, but He would also destroy their wicked. DAY OF THE LORD: a technical expression which in earliest times referred to God's special intervention in human affairs. Through it his power and justice triumphed in his people. The present passage is the first instance in which it means a day of punishment for sinners. During the exile it assumed the meaning of a time when God would avenge Israel against her enemy and oppressors and bring about her restoration (Jeremiah 50:27; Ezekiel 30:3-5). Still later it came to mean the day of final judgment of the world when the good will be rewarded and the wicked punished (Malachi 3:19); Joel 2:1-3:5 ; Zephaniah 1:14 ---2:15

v 19,20. If they escaped one threat, another awaited them, and likewise, Israel would have no place to flee from God’s wrath. This day of the Lord would be one of darkness with no hope. A brighter day of the Lord awaits those who turn to Him, both limited after the exile, and fully in the yet future.

V 21-27 THE LORD CONDEMNS: not ritual worship in itself, but the cult whose exterior rites and solemnity have no relation to interior morality and justice. The Israelites falsely worshiped him as neighboring nations adored Baal or Chamos, deities which were thought to protect their respective peoples against their enemies in return for ritual observances, without any relation to right conduct.

v 21,22. When worship is an abomination, also 4:4,5. God was angry with Israel’s religious hypocrisy. Some came to the feasts and brought their offerings, but they had no regard for God so He had none for them.

v 23,24. God wanted individuals to stop their music and songs of praise and replace them with justice, concern for poor, with day to day living like a mighty stream.

v 25. Even in the wilderness some worshiped a golden calf and other false gods/ DID YOU OFFER: Except the sacrifices that were offered at the first, in the dedication of the tabernacle, the Israelites offered no sacrifices in the desert. During the forty years' wandering in the desert the simple, rudimentary worship of God was accompanied by the practice of justice, in contrast to the elaborate ritual unaccompanied by works of justice in the prophet's time.

v 26. They have degenerated into worshiping heavenly bodies and foreign idols associated with them, especially the Planet Saturn. A TABERNACLE: All this alludes to the idolatry which they committed, when they were drawn away. The desoltion of Israel for their pride and luxury. SAKKUTH: star god: it seems quite probable that reference is made to the Assyrian deities, Sakkuth, god of war and light, and Kaiwan, the planet Saturn. The people will go into exile, from which these gods have been unable to save them.

v 27. Because of this idolatry and hypocritical worship, God will send them as captives beyond Damascus to the land of Assyrians. They would be shamed by being removed from the land of promise. God emphasizes again that He is the God of hosts, the God of all forces.