Bible in Basic English
Give ear to this word, my song of sorrow over you, O children of Israel.
The virgin of Israel has been made low, never again to be lifted up: she is stretched out by herself on her land; there is no one to put her on her feet again.
For these are the words of the Lord God: The town which was able to send out a thousand, will have only a hundred; and that which sent out a hundred, will have only ten, in Israel.
For these are the words of the Lord to the children of Israel: Let your hearts be turned to me, so that you may have life:
Do not be looking for help to Beth-el, and do not go to Gilgal, or make your way to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal will certainly be taken prisoner, and Beth-el will come to nothing.
Go to the Lord for help so that you may have life; for fear that he may come like fire bursting out in the family of Joseph, causing destruction, and there will be no one to put it out in Beth-el.
You who make the work of judging a bitter thing, crushing down righteousness to the earth;
Go for help to him who makes Orion and the Pleiades, by whom the deep dark is turned into morning, who makes the day black with night; whose voice goes out to the waters of the sea, sending them out over the face of the earth: the Lord is his name;
Who sends sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the walled town.
They have hate for him who makes protest against evil in the public place, and he whose words are upright is disgusting to them.
So because the poor man is crushed under your feet, and you take taxes from him of grain: you have made for yourselves houses of cut stone, but you will not take your rest in them; the fair vine-gardens planted by your hands will not give you wine.
For I have seen how your evil-doing is increased and how strong are your sins, you troublers of the upright, who take rewards and do wrong to the cause of the poor in the public place.
So the wise will say nothing in that time; for it is an evil time.
Go after good and not evil, so that life may be yours: and so the Lord, the God of armies, will be with you, as you say.
Be haters of evil and lovers of good, and let right be done in the public place: it may be that the Lord, the God of armies, will have mercy on the rest of Joseph.
So these are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the Lord: There will be weeping in all the open spaces; and in all the streets they will say, Sorrow! sorrow! and they will get in the farmer to the weeping, and the makers of sad songs to give cries of grief.
In all the vine-gardens there will be cries of grief: for I will go through among you, says the Lord.
Sorrow to you who are looking for the day of the Lord! what is the day of the Lord to you? it is dark and not light.
As if a man, running away from a lion, came face to face with a bear; or went into the house and put his hand on the wall and got a bite from a snake.
Will not the day of the Lord be dark and not light? even very dark, with no light shining in it?
Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.
Even if you give me your burned offerings and your meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: I will have nothing to do with the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
Take away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.
But let the right go rolling on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Did you come to me with offerings of beasts and meal offerings in the waste land for forty years, O Israel?
Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
And I will send you away as prisoners farther than Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
— Amos 5:1-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel. "The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up." For thus says the Lord Yahweh: "The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel." For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel: "Seek me, and you will live; but don't seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don't pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing. Seek Yahweh, and you will live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel. You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth: seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name, who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress. They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly. Forasmuch therefore as you trample on the poor, and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many your offenses, and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the courts. Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say. Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord: "Wailing will be in all the broad ways; and they will say in all the streets, 'Alas! Alas!' and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing. In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of you," says Yahweh. "Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is darkness, and not light. As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; Or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him. Won't the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies. Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals. Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream. "Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel? You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus," says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.”
“Death is Imminent Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you, family of Israel: “The virgin Israel has fallen down and will not get up again. She is abandoned on her own land with no one to help her get up.” The Sovereign LORD says this:“The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers will have only a hundred left; the town that marches out with a hundred soldiers will have only ten left for the family of Israel.” The LORD says this to the family of Israel:“Seek me so you can live! Do not seek Bethel! Do not visit Gilgal! Do not journey down to Beer Sheba! For the people of Gilgal will certainly be carried into exile; and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds.” Seek the LORD so you can live! Otherwise he will break out like fire against Joseph’s family; the fire will consume and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. The Israelites turn justice into bitterness; they throw what is fair and right to the ground. (But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion; he can turn the darkness into morning and daylight into night. He summons the water of the seas and pours it out on the earth’s surface. The LORD is his name! He flashes destruction down upon the strong so that destruction overwhelms the fortified places.) The Israelites hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate; they despise anyone who speaks honestly. Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops and exact a grain tax from them, you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone, nor will you drink the wine from the fine vineyards you planted. Certainly I am aware of your many rebellious acts and your numerous sins. You torment the innocent, you take bribes, and you deny justice to the needy at the city gate. For this reason whoever is smart keeps quiet in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good and not evil so you can live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, just might be with you, as you claim he is. Hate what is wrong, love what is right! Promote justice at the city gate! Maybe the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, will have mercy on those who are left from Joseph. Because of Israel’s sins this is what the Lord, the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, says:“In all the squares there will be wailing, in all the streets they will mourn the dead. They will tell the field workers to lament and the professional mourners to wail. In all the vineyards there will be wailing, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD. The Lord Demands Justice Woe to those who wish for the day of the LORD! Why do you want the LORD’s day of judgment to come? It will bring darkness, not light. Disaster will be inescapable, as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear, then escaped into a house, leaned his hand against the wall, and was bitten by a poisonous snake. Don’t you realize the LORD’s day of judgment will bring darkness, not light– gloomy blackness, not bright light? “I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies! Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied; I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves. Take away from me your noisy songs; I don’t want to hear the music of your stringed instruments. Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up. You did not bring me sacrifices and grain offerings during the forty years you spent in the wilderness, family of Israel. You will pick up your images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kiyyun, your star god, which you made for yourselves, and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD. He is called the God of Heaven’s Armies!”
Give ear to this word, my song of sorrow over you, O children of Israel.
The virgin of Israel has been made low, never again to be lifted up: she is stretched out by herself on her land; there is no one to put her on her feet again.
For these are the words of the Lord God: The town which was able to send out a thousand, will have only a hundred; and that which sent out a hundred, will have only ten, in Israel.
For these are the words of the Lord to the children of Israel: Let your hearts be turned to me, so that you may have life:
Do not be looking for help to Beth-el, and do not go to Gilgal, or make your way to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal will certainly be taken prisoner, and Beth-el will come to nothing.
Go to the Lord for help so that you may have life; for fear that he may come like fire bursting out in the family of Joseph, causing destruction, and there will be no one to put it out in Beth-el.
You who make the work of judging a bitter thing, crushing down righteousness to the earth;
Go for help to him who makes Orion and the Pleiades, by whom the deep dark is turned into morning, who makes the day black with night; whose voice goes out to the waters of the sea, sending them out over the face of the earth: the Lord is his name;
Who sends sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the walled town.
They have hate for him who makes protest against evil in the public place, and he whose words are upright is disgusting to them.
So because the poor man is crushed under your feet, and you take taxes from him of grain: you have made for yourselves houses of cut stone, but you will not take your rest in them; the fair vine-gardens planted by your hands will not give you wine.
For I have seen how your evil-doing is increased and how strong are your sins, you troublers of the upright, who take rewards and do wrong to the cause of the poor in the public place.
So the wise will say nothing in that time; for it is an evil time.
Go after good and not evil, so that life may be yours: and so the Lord, the God of armies, will be with you, as you say.
Be haters of evil and lovers of good, and let right be done in the public place: it may be that the Lord, the God of armies, will have mercy on the rest of Joseph.
So these are the words of the Lord, the God of armies, the Lord: There will be weeping in all the open spaces; and in all the streets they will say, Sorrow! sorrow! and they will get in the farmer to the weeping, and the makers of sad songs to give cries of grief.
In all the vine-gardens there will be cries of grief: for I will go through among you, says the Lord.
Sorrow to you who are looking for the day of the Lord! what is the day of the Lord to you? it is dark and not light.
As if a man, running away from a lion, came face to face with a bear; or went into the house and put his hand on the wall and got a bite from a snake.
Will not the day of the Lord be dark and not light? even very dark, with no light shining in it?
Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.
Even if you give me your burned offerings and your meal offerings, I will not take pleasure in them: I will have nothing to do with the peace-offerings of your fat beasts.
Take away from me the noise of your songs; my ears are shut to the melody of your instruments.
But let the right go rolling on like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Did you come to me with offerings of beasts and meal offerings in the waste land for forty years, O Israel?
Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.
And I will send you away as prisoners farther than Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.