Amos 5 Comparison: Noyes Translation (1869) vs King James Version
Amos 5
1Hear these words, which I utter concerning you; This lamentation, O house of Israel!
2She is fallen, she shall rise no more, The virgin of Israel! She is prostrate on her own ground, there is none to raise her up!
3For thus saith the Lord Jehovah; The city which sent out a thousand shall have a hundred left, And that which sent out a hundred shall have ten left, To the house of Israel.
4For thus saith Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live!
5Seek not Bethel, And go not to Gilgal, And pass not over to Beersheba! For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity! And Bethel shall come to naught.
6Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live! Lest he rush like a fire on the house of Joseph, And it devour, and there be none to quench it in the house of Israel.
7Ye who turn justice into wormwood, And cast righteousness down to the ground.
8Seek him, that made the Pleiades and Orion; That changeth death-like darkness into morning, And darkeneth day into night; That calleth up the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth; Jehovah is his name!
9Who sendeth sudden destruction upon the strong, And bringeth desolation upon the fortress.
10They hate him that pleadeth in the gate, And abhor him that speaketh uprightly.
11Since, then, ye trample upon the poor, And take from him presents of wheat, Though ye build houses of hewn stone, ye shall not dwell in them; Though ye plant pleasant vineyards, ye shall not drink their wine.
12For I know that your sins are many, And your transgressions manifold, Ye who afflict the righteous, and take a bribe, And oppress the poor in the gate!
13Therefore the wise man shall be silent at that time, For it shall be an evil time.
14Seek ye good, and not evil, that ye may live; Then shall Jehovah, the God of hosts, be with you, as ye boast.
15Hate ye evil, and love good, And establish justice in the gate; It may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will have pity upon the remnant of Joseph.
16Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the streets shall there be wailing, And in all the highways shall they cry, Alas! alas! They shall call the husbandmen to mourning, And those who are skilful in lamentation to wailing,
17And in all vineyards shall be sounds of woe, For I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.
18Woe unto them that ask for the day of Jehovah! What is the day of Jehovah to you? It shall be darkness, and not light.
19As if a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him; Or went into a house and leaned his hand on a wall, And a serpent bit him;
20So shall the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light, Even thick darkness, and no brightness in it.
21I hate, I despise your feasts; I have no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22When ye offer me burnt-offerings and flour-offerings, I will not accept them; And upon the thank-offerings of your fatlings I will not look.
23Take ye away from me the noise of your songs, And the music of your harps let me not hear!
24Let justice flow forth as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream!
25Did ye offer me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness, for forty years, O house of Israel?
26But ye bore the tabernacle of your king, And the shrine of your images, The star of your god, which ye made for yourselves.
27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, Saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts!
Amos 5
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.
Understanding Noyes Translation (1869) vs King James Version in Amos 5
Noyes Translation (1869) (Noyes)
A scholarly 1869 translation by George R. Noyes, aiming for precision and literary beauty. Known for its distinct Unitarian perspective and separate translation of poetical books like Psalms.
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Amos 5 in the Noyes Translation (1869) and King James Version. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Amos 5:16
"Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the streets shall there be wailing, And in all the highways shall they cry, Alas! alas! They shall call the husbandmen to mourning, And those who are skilful in lamentation to wailing,"
"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."
