Amos 5

¹Here ye this word, for Y reise on you a weilyng.

²The hous of Israel felle doun, he schal not put to, that it rise ayen; the virgyn of Israel is cast doun in to hir lond, noon is that schal reise hir.

³For the Lord God seith these thingis, The citee of which a thousynde wenten out, an hundrid schulen be left ther ynne; and of which an hundrid wenten out, ten schulen be left ther ynne, in the hous of Israel.

⁴For the Lord seith these thingis to the hous of Israel, Seke ye me, and ye schulen lyue;

⁵and nyle ye seke Bethel, and nyle ye entre in to Galgala, and ye schulen not passe to Bersabee; for whi Galgal schal be led caitif, and Bethel schal be vnprofitable.

⁶Seke ye the Lord, and lyue ye, lest perauenture the hous of Joseph be brent as fier; and it schal deuoure Bethel, and there schal not be, that schal quenche.

⁷Whiche conuerten doom in to wermod, and forsaken riytwisnesse in the lond,

⁸and forsaken hym that makith Arture and Orion, and hym that turneth derknessis in to the morewtid, and him that chaungith dai in to niyt; which clepith watris of the see, and heldith out hem on the face of erthe; the Lord is name of hym.

⁹Which scorneth distriyng on the stronge, and bringith robbyng on the myyti.

¹⁰Thei hatiden a man repreuynge in the yate, and thei wlatiden a man spekynge perfitli.

¹¹Therfor for that that ye robbiden a pore man, and token fro hym the chosun prey, ye schulen bilde housis with square stoon, and ye schulen not dwelle in hem; ye schulen plaunte moost louyd vyneyerdis, and ye schulen not drynke the wyn of hem.

¹²For Y knew youre grete trespassis many, and youre stronge synnes; enemyes of `the riytwis man, takynge yifte, and berynge doun pore men in the yate.

¹³Therfor a prudent man schal be stille in that time, for the time is yuel.

¹⁴Seke ye good, and not yuel, that ye lyue, and the Lord God of oostis schal be with you, as ye seiden.

¹⁵Hate ye yuel, and loue ye good, and ordeyne ye in the gate doom; if perauenture the Lord God of oostis haue merci on the remenauntis of Joseph.

¹⁶Therfor the Lord God of oostis, hauynge lordschipe, seith these thingis, Weilyng schal be in alle stretis, and in alle thingis that ben withoutforth it schal be seid, Wo! wo! and thei schulen clepe an erthe tilier to mourenyng, and hem that kunnen weile, to weilyng.

¹⁷And weilyng schal be in alle weies, for Y schal passe forth in the myddil of `the see, seith the Lord.

¹⁸Wo to hem that desiren the dai of the Lord; wher to desiren ye it to you? This dai of the Lord schal be derknessis, and not liyt.

¹⁹As if a man renne fro the face of a lioun, and a bere renne to hym; and he entre in to the hous, and lene with his hond on the wal, and a serpent dwellynge in schadewe bite hym.

²⁰Whether the dai of the Lord schal not be derknessis, and not liyt; and myist, and not schynyng ther ynne?

²¹Y hatide and castide awei youre feeste daies, and Y schal not take the odour of youre cumpenyes.

²²That if ye offren to me youre brent sacrifices, and yiftis, Y schal not resseyue, and Y schal not biholde avowis of youre fatte thingis.

²³Do thou awei fro me the noise of thi songis, and Y schal not here the songis of thin harpe.

²⁴And doom schal be schewid as watir, and riytfulnesse as a strong streem.

²⁵Whether ye, the hous of Israel, offriden to me sacrifices for enemyes to be ouercomun, and sacrifice in desert fourti yeeris?

²⁶And ye han bore tabernaclis to Moloch, youre god, and ymage of youre idols, the sterre of youre god, which ye maden to you.

²⁷And Y schal make you for to passe ouer Damask, seide the Lord; God of oostis is the name of him.

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.