Bible in Basic English
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 5:12-1964, Bible in Basic English
“For 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. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate 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. 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. And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord. Woe 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. As 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. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though 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. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts. ”
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.