Amos.5.1

Listen to this, family of Israel, this Message I'm sending in bold print, this tragic warning:

Amos.5.1

Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lament I take up concerning you:

Amos.5.1

Hear this word which I take up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel:

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Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing:

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"Virgin Israel has fallen flat on her face. She'll never stand up again. She's been left where she's fallen. No one offers to help her up."

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"Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again, deserted in her own land, with no one to lift her up."

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The virgin of Israel has fallen; She will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; There is no one to raise her up.

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"The virgin Israel has fallen, never to rise again! She lies forsaken on the ground, with none to raise her up."

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This is the Message, GOD's Word: "The city that marches out with a thousand will end up with a hundred. The city that marches out with a hundred will end up with ten. Oh, family of Israel!"

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This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "The city that marches out a thousand strong for Israel will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out a hundred strong will have only ten left."

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For thus says the Lord GOD: "The city that goes out by a thousand Shall have a hundred left, And that which goes out by a hundred Shall have ten left to the house of Israel."

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The Sovereign LORD says: "When one of your cities sends a thousand men to battle, only a hundred will return. When a town sends a hundred, only ten will come back alive."

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GOD's Message to the family of Israel: "Seek me and live.

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This is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live;

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For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live;

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Now this is what the LORD says to the family of Israel: "Come back to me and live!

Amos.5.5

Don't fool around at those shrines of Bethel, Don't waste time taking trips to Gilgal, and don't bother going down to Beer-sheba. Gilgal is here today and gone tomorrow and Bethel is all show, no substance."

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do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. "

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But do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing.

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Don't go to worship the idols of Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba. For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile, and the people of Bethel will come to nothing."

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So seek GOD and live! You don't want to end up with nothing to show for your life But a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground. For God will send just such a fire, and the firefighters will show up too late.

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Seek the LORD and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

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Seek the LORD and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel--

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Come back to the LORD and live! If you don't, he will roar through Israel like a fire, devouring you completely. Your gods in Bethel certainly won't be able to quench the flames!

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Woe to you who turn justice to vinegar and stomp righteousness into the mud.

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You who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground

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You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!"

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You wicked people! You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the poor and oppressed. Righteousness and fair play are meaningless fictions to you.

Amos.5.8

Do you realize where you are? You're in a cosmos star-flung with constellations by God, A world God wakes up each morning and puts to bed each night. God dips water from the ocean and gives the land a drink. GOD, God-revealed, does all this.

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(he who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land- the LORD is his name-

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He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The LORD is His name.

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It is the LORD who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. It is he who turns darkness into morning and day into night. It is he who draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The LORD is his name!

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And he can destroy it as easily as make it. He can turn this vast wonder into total waste.

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he flashes destruction on the stronghold and brings the fortified city to ruin),

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He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.

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With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all their defenses.

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People hate this kind of talk. Raw truth is never popular.

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you hate the one who reproves in court and despise him who tells the truth.

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They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.

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How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth!

Amos.5.11

But here it is, bluntly spoken: Because you run roughshod over the poor and take the bread right out of their mouths, You're never going to move into the luxury homes you have built. You're never going to drink wine from the expensive vineyards you've planted.

Amos.5.11

You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.

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Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them.

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You trample the poor and steal what little they have through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, you will never live in the beautiful stone houses you are building. You will never drink wine from the lush vineyards you are planting.

Amos.5.12

I know precisely the extent of your violations, the enormity of your sins. Appalling! You bully right-living people, taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they're down.

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For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

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For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.

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For I know the vast number of your sins and rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.

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Justice is a lost cause. Evil is epidemic. Decent people throw up their hands. Protest and rebuke are useless, a waste of breath.

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Therefore the prudent man keeps quiet in such times, for the times are evil.

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Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.

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So those who are wise will keep quiet, for it is an evil time.

Amos.5.14

Seek good and not evil--and live! You talk about GOD, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, being your best friend. Well, live like it, and maybe it will happen.

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Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

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Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the LORD God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.

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Do what is good and run from evil--that you may live! Then the LORD God Almighty will truly be your helper, just as you have claimed he is.

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Hate evil and love good, then work it out in the public square. Maybe GOD, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, will notice your remnant and be gracious.

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Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

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Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

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Hate evil and love what is good; remodel your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on his people who remain.

Amos.5.16

Now again, my Master's Message, GOD, God-of-the-Angel-Armies: "Go out into the streets and lament loudly! Fill the malls and shops with cries of doom! Weep loudly, "Not me! Not us, Not now!' Empty offices, stores, factories, workplaces. Enlist everyone in the general lament.

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Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: "There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail.

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Therefore the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, says this: "There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, "Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmer to mourning, And skillful lamenters to wailing.

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Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says: "There will be crying in all the public squares and in every street. Call for the farmers to weep with you, and summon professional mourners to wail and lament.

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I want to hear it loud and clear when I make my visit." GOD's Decree.

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There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst," says the LORD.

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In all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you," Says the LORD.

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There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will pass through and destroy them all. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

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Woe to all of you who want GOD's Judgment Day! Why would you want to see GOD, want him to come? When GOD comes, it will be bad news before it's good news, the worst of times, not the best of times.

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Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light.

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Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.

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How terrible it will be for you who say, "If only the day of the LORD were here! For then the LORD would rescue us from all our enemies." But you have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will not bring light and prosperity, but darkness and disaster.

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Here's what it's like: A man runs from a lion right into the jaws of a bear. A woman goes home after a hard day's work and is raped by a neighbor.

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It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.

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It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!

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In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion--only to meet a bear. After escaping the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house--and is bitten by a snake.

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At GOD's coming we face hard reality, not fantasy--a black cloud with no silver lining.

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Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light- pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

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Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?

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Yes, the day of the LORD will be a dark and hopeless day, without a ray of joy or hope.

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"I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.

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"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.

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"I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.

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"I hate all your show and pretense--the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.

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I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making.

Amos.5.22

Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.

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Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.

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I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings.

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I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me?

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Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

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Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.

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Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is.

Amos.5.24

Do you know what I want? I want justice--oceans of it. I want fairness--rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want.

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But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

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But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

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Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry.

Amos.5.25

"Didn't you, dear family of Israel, worship me faithfully for forty years in the wilderness, bringing the sacrifices and offerings I commanded?

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

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"Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

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"Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?

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How is it you've stooped to dragging gimcrack statues of your so-called rulers around, hauling the cheap images of all your star-gods here and there?

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You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god - which you made for yourselves.

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You also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves.

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No, your real interest was in your pagan gods--Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god--the images you yourselves made.

Amos.5.27

Since you like them so much, you can take them with you when I drive you into exile beyond Damascus." GOD's Message, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

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Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.

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Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus," Says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

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So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is God Almighty.