Amos 5

King James Version

Full text for Amos Chapter 5

1¶ Hear 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.

4¶ For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

5But 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.

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 Bethel.

7Ye 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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Amos begins with a lamentation for the fallen house of Israel, predicting severe population loss and urging them to seek the Lord for life, rather than engaging in idolatry at Bethel or Gilgal. The prophet condemns their social injustices, such as oppressing the poor and perverting justice, and warns that the desired Day of the Lord will be a day of darkness and judgment. God expresses His rejection of their insincere religious festivals and offerings, demanding instead that judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Medium Summary

The chapter opens with a mournful lamentation over the impending downfall of Israel, described as a virgin fallen with no one to raise her up, and foretelling a drastic reduction in their population. Amidst this dire prophecy, the Lord offers a path to life: to seek Him and abandon the idolatrous practices at places like Bethel and Gilgal, which are destined for captivity and ruin. Amos then denounces the people for turning justice into bitterness and forsaking righteousness, highlighting their oppression of the poor, acceptance of bribes, and perversion of justice in the gate. He warns those who long for the Day of the Lord that it will be a day of profound darkness and inescapable judgment. God declares His hatred for their hypocritical feast days and solemn assemblies, rejecting their burnt offerings and songs, because their worship is devoid of true righteousness and accompanied by the worship of idols like Moloch and Chiun.

Long Summary

Amos 5 commences with a solemn lamentation concerning the house of Israel, portraying her as a fallen virgin with no hope of rising, and predicting a catastrophic reduction in her population, where only a tenth or a hundredth of her people will remain. Despite this impending doom, the Lord extends an invitation to life, commanding Israel to seek Him and to refrain from seeking the idolatrous centers of Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba, which are destined for captivity and desolation. The prophet emphasizes God's supreme power as the creator of the stars and controller of day and night, capable of strengthening the weak against the strong. He severely condemns the people for their profound social injustices, specifically their oppression of the poor, their acceptance of bribes, and their perversion of justice in public forums, leading the prudent to remain silent in such evil times. The call to seek good, hate evil, and establish justice in the gate is presented as the only hope for the remnant of Joseph to find grace. However, the Lord foretells widespread wailing and mourning throughout the land. A stern warning is issued to those who desire the Day of the Lord, clarifying that it will be a day of inescapable darkness and not light, a time of judgment from which there is no escape, likened to fleeing a lion only to meet a bear or being bitten by a serpent in one's own house. The chapter culminates with God's vehement rejection of Israel's ritualistic worship, declaring His hatred for their feast days, solemn assemblies, burnt offerings, and songs, because their hearts are far from Him and they have borne the tabernacle of their idols, Moloch and Chiun. As a consequence of their persistent idolatry and injustice, the Lord, the God of hosts, declares that He will cause them to go into captivity beyond Damascus.

Core Concepts

  • Lamentation and Fall of IsraelThe chapter opens with a lamentation over Israel, portrayed as a fallen virgin who will not rise, signifying her impending and irreversible national catastrophe and severe population loss due to divine judgment.
  • Seeking the LordA central command is given to Israel to 'seek ye me, and ye shall live,' presenting a path to life and deliverance by turning to God and abandoning idolatrous practices at places like Bethel and Gilgal.
  • Social InjusticeAmos vehemently condemns Israel's widespread social injustices, including the oppression of the poor, the taking of bribes, and the perversion of justice in the gate, which are seen as a turning of 'judgment to wormwood' and a forsaking of righteousness.
  • The Day of the LordThe prophet warns those who desire the Day of the Lord that it will be a day of darkness, not light, signifying a time of inescapable divine judgment and calamity rather than salvation or triumph for Israel.
  • Rejection of Ritualistic WorshipGod expresses His hatred and despising of Israel's formal religious festivals, burnt offerings, and songs, because their worship is insincere and accompanied by idolatry, lacking true righteousness and justice.
  • Idolatry and CaptivityIsrael is condemned for bearing the tabernacle of Moloch and Chiun, their images, leading to the ultimate consequence of being sent into captivity beyond Damascus by the Lord, the God of hosts.