Amos 5:1-17

Seek the Lord and Live

1 Hear this word that I ¹take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:

2 "Fallen, no more to rise, is ²the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up."

3 For thus says the Lord GOD: "The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel."

4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: ³"Seek me and live;

5 but do not seek ⁴Bethel, and do not enter into ⁵Gilgal or cross over to ⁶Beersheba; for ⁷Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and ⁸Bethel shall come to nothing."

6 ⁹Seek the LORD and live, ¹⁰lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for ¹¹Bethel,

7 O ¹²you who turn justice to wormwood^[a] and cast down righteousness to the earth!

8 He who made the ¹³Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and ¹⁴darkens the day into night, who ¹⁵calls for the waters of the sea ¹⁶and pours them out on the surface of the earth, ¹⁷the LORD is his name;

9 ¹⁸who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10 ¹⁹They hate him who reproves ²⁰in the gate, and they ²¹abhor him who speaks the truth.

11 Therefore because you ²²trample on^[b] the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, ²³you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; ²⁴you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous, who ²⁵take a bribe, and ²⁶turn aside the needy ²⁷in the gate.

13 Therefore he who is prudent will ²⁸keep silent in such a time, ²⁹for it is an evil time.

14 ³⁰Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, ³¹the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.

15 ³²Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice ³³in the gate; ³⁴it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the LORD, ³⁵the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares ³⁶there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, 'Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmers to mourning and ³⁷to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,

17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for ³⁸I will pass through your midst," says the LORD.

Amos 5:1-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO AMOS 5

In this chapter the prophet exhorts Israel to hear his lamentation over them for their impending ruin, Am 5:1-3; nevertheless to seek the Lord, and all that is good; to forsake their idols, and repent of their sins, in hopes of finding mercy, and living comfortably; or otherwise they must expect the wrath of God for their iniquities, especially their oppression of the poor, Am 5:4-15; otherwise it would be a time of weeping and wailing, of darkness and distress, however they might harden or flatter themselves, or make a jest of it, Am 5:16-20; for all their sacrifices and ceremonial worship would signify nothing, so long as they continued their idolatry with them Am 5:21-26; and therefore should surely go into captivity, Am 5:27.

Amos 5:1-17 In-Context

1 Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:

2 "Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up."

3 For thus says the Lord GOD: "The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel."

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

5 but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing."

6 Seek the LORD and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,

7 O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!

8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name;

9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.

11 Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

12 For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins-- you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.

13 Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.

15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, 'Alas! Alas!' They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,

17 and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst," says the LORD.

18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light,

19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.

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

21 "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Cross References

• 1. Ezekiel 19:1
• 2. Lamentations 2:1; [Isaiah 47:1]
• 3. 2 Chronicles 15:2; Isaiah 55:6; Zephaniah 2:3
• 4. See Amos 4:4
• 5. See Amos 4:4
• 6. Amos 8:14
• 7. See Amos 4:4
• 8. See Amos 4:4
• 9. [See ver. 4 above]
• 10. [Isaiah 9:18, 19]
• 11. [See ver. 5 above]
• 12. [Amos 6:12]
• 13. Job 9:9; Job 38:31
• 14. Psalms 104:20; [Amos 4:13; Amos 8:9]
• 15. Amos 9:6; [Genesis 6:17; Psalms 104:6, 7]
• 16. Amos 9:6; [Genesis 6:17; Psalms 104:6, 7]
• 17. See Amos 4:13
• 18. [Jeremiah 50:32]
• 19. Isaiah 29:21; [Proverbs 15:5, 10]
• 20. See Ruth 4:1
• 21. [1 Kings 22:8]
• 22. [James 2:6]
• 23. Deuteronomy 28:30, 39; Micah 6:15; Zephaniah 1:13
• 24. Deuteronomy 28:30, 39; Micah 6:15; Zephaniah 1:13
• 25. 1 Samuel 8:3; 1 Samuel 12:3; [Psalms 26:10]
• 26. Amos 2:7; Isaiah 29:21
• 27. [See ver. 10 above]
• 28. [Ecclesiastes 3:7]
• 29. Micah 2:3
• 30. [Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; Zephaniah 2:3]
• 31. Amos 3:13
• 32. Psalms 97:10; Romans 12:9
• 33. [See ver. 10 above]
• 34. Joel 2:14; [Exodus 32:30]
• 35. [See ver. 14 above]
• 36. [Jeremiah 9:17, 18]
• 37. [Jeremiah 9:17, 18]
• 38. Exodus 12:12

Footnotes

• [a]. Or to bitter fruit
• [b]. Or you tax