Skip to content

Through His prophet Amos, the Lord urges His people to seek Him and live. Rather than sacrifices and the observance of holy days, the Lord desires that His people serve Him with justice and righteousness.

BibleGateway: Amos 5

ESV Text: Amos 5

Amos 5 (Listen)

Seek the Lord and Live

5:1 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:


  “Fallen, no more to rise,
    is the virgin Israel;
  forsaken on her land,
    with none to raise her up.”

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.”

For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:


  “Seek me and live;
    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.”


  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,
  O you who turn justice to wormwood1
    and cast down righteousness to the earth!


  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;
  who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
    so that destruction comes upon the fortress.


10   They hate him who reproves in the gate,
    and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11   Therefore because you trample on2 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.
12   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.
13   Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time,
    for it is an evil time.


14   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.
15   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.

16 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,
17   and in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
    for I will pass through your midst,”
      says the LORD.

Let Justice Roll Down


18   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,
19     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   Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?


21   “I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22   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 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 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

Footnotes

[1] 5:7 Or to bitter fruit

[2] 5:11 Or you tax

(ESV)


KJV Text: Amos 5:1-27

Right click here to save the file for off-line use.

KJV Text (alt. audio): Chapter 5:

     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 Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel 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 Bethel. 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.(KJV)


Hymn: TLH 550 : O Splendor of God’s Glory Bright

Hymnary.org

Organ Audio

Right click here to save the file for off-line use.

1. O splendor of God’s glory bright,
Who bringest forth the light from Light;
O Light of light, light’s Fountain-spring;
O Day, our days enlightening:

2. Come, very Sun of truth and love,
Come in Thy radiance from above
And shed the Holy Spirit’s ray
On all we think or do today.

3. Likewise to Thee our prayers ascend,
Father of glory without end,
Father of saving grace, for pow’r
To conquer in temptation’s hour.

4. Teach us to work with all our might;
Beat back the devil’s threatening spite;
Turn all to good that seems most ill;
Help us our calling to fulfil.

5. Direct and govern heart and mind,
With body chaste and disciplined;
Let faith her eager fires renew
And hate the false and love the true.

6. On Christ, the true Bread, let us feed,
Let Him to us be drink indeed,
And let us taste with joyfulness
The Holy Spirit’s plenteousness.

7. Oh, joyful be the livelong day,
Our thoughts as pure as morning ray,
Our faith like noonday’s glowing height,
Our souls undimmed by shades of night.

8. The dawn begins to speed her way,
Let the true Dawn himself display,
The Son with God the Father One,
And God the Father in the Son.

9. All praise to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
Whom with the Spirit we adore
Forever and forevermore.


Hymn: LSB 874 : O Splendor of God’s Glory Bright

Hymnary.org

1. O Splendor of God’s glory bright,
O Thou that bringest light from light,
O Light of Light, light’s living spring,
O Day, all days illumining:
Alleluia!

2. Come, very Sun of truth and love;
Pour down Thy radiance from above
And shed the Holy Spirit’s ray
On all we think or do or say.
Alleluia!

3. With prayer the Father we implore:
O Father, glorious evermore,
We plead with Thee for grace and pow’r
To conquer in temptation’s hour,
Alleluia!

4. To guide whate’er we nobly do,
With love all envy to subdue,
To give us grace our wrongs to bear,
To make ill fortune turn to fair.
Alleluia!

5. On Christ, the true bread, let us feed;
Let Him to us be drink indeed;
And let us taste with joyfulness
The Holy Spirit’s plenteousness.
Alleluia!

6. All laud to God the Father be;
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee;
All glory to the Spirit raise
In equal and unending praise.
Alleluia!