SEEK THE LORD AND LIVE
Key verse: 6a
NIV
A Lament and Call to Repentance
5 Hear this word, Israel, this lament(A) I take up concerning you:
2 “Fallen is Virgin(B) Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.(C)”
3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:
“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.(D)”
4 This is what the Lord says to Israel:
“Seek(E) me and live;(F)
5 do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,(G)
do not journey to Beersheba.(H)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[a](I)”
6 Seek(J) the Lord and live,(K)
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;(L)
it will devour them,
and Bethel(M) will have no one to quench it.(N)
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,(R)
who turns midnight into dawn(S)
and darkens day into night,(T)
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.(U)
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.(V)
10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(W)
and detest the one who tells the truth.(X)
Footnotes
- Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
Cross references
- Amos 5:1 : S Jer 4:8; S Eze 19:1
- Amos 5:2 : S 2Ki 19:21; Jer 14:17
- Amos 5:2 : Jer 50:32; Am 8:14
- Amos 5:3 : Isa 6:13; Am 6:9
- Amos 5:4 : S Dt 4:29
- Amos 5:4 : Dt 32:46-47; Isa 55:3; Jer 29:13; S Eze 18:9
- Amos 5:5 : 1Sa 11:14; S Hos 4:15
- Amos 5:5 : Ge 21:31; Am 8:14
- Amos 5:5 : S 1Sa 7:16; S 8:2
- Amos 5:6 : Ps 22:26; 105:4; S Isa 31:1; 55:6; Zep 2:3
- Amos 5:6 : ver 14; S Lev 18:5
- Amos 5:6 : Dt 4:24
- Amos 5:6 : S Am 3:14
- Amos 5:6 : S Jer 4:4
- Amos 5:7 : Isa 5:20; Am 6:12
- Amos 5:7 : S Am 3:10
- Amos 5:7 : S Hos 10:4
- Amos 5:8 : S Ge 1:16; S Job 38:31
- Amos 5:8 : S Job 38:12; Isa 42:16
- Amos 5:8 : S Ps 104:20; Am 8:9
- Amos 5:8 : Ps 104:6-9; Jer 16:21; S Am 4:13
- Amos 5:9 : Mic 5:11
- Amos 5:10 : S Isa 29:21
- Amos 5:10 : 1Ki 22:8; Gal 4:16
- Amos 5:11 : Am 8:6
- Amos 5:11 : S Am 3:15
- Amos 5:11 : S Dt 28:30; Mic 1:6
- Amos 5:11 : S Jdg 9:27; S Am 4:1; 9:14; Mic 6:15; Zep 1:13
- Amos 5:12 : Hos 5:3
- Amos 5:12 : S Job 36:18; S Isa 1:23; S Eze 22:12
- Amos 5:12 : S Jer 5:28
- Amos 5:12 : S Job 5:4; S Isa 5:23; S Am 2:6-7
- Amos 5:13 : S Est 4:14
- Amos 5:13 : Mic 2:3
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Seek the Lord and Live
5 Hear this word that I (A)take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 “Fallen, no more to rise,
is (B)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:
(C)“Seek me and live;
5 but do not seek (D)Bethel,
and do not enter into (E)Gilgal
or cross over to (F)Beersheba;
for (G)Gilgal shall surely go into exile,
and (H)Bethel shall come to nothing.”
6 (I)Seek the Lord and live,
(J)lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
and it devour, with none to quench it for (K)Bethel,
7 O (L)you who turn justice to wormwood[a]
and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8 He who made the (M)Pleiades and Orion,
and turns deep darkness into the morning
and (N)darkens the day into night,
who (O)calls for the waters of the sea
(P)and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
(Q)the Lord is his name;
9 (R)who makes destruction flash forth against the strong,
so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 (S)They hate him who reproves (T)in the gate,
and they (U)abhor him who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore because you (V)trample on[b] the poor
and you exact taxes of grain from him,
(W)you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not dwell in them;
(X)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 (Y)take a bribe,
and (Z)turn aside the needy (AA)in the gate.
13 Therefore he who is prudent will (AB)keep silent in such a time,
(AC)for it is an evil time.
Cross references
- Amos 5:1 : Ezek. 19:1
- Amos 5:2 : Lam. 2:1; [Isa. 47:1]
- Amos 5:4 : 2 Chr. 15:2; Isa. 55:6; Zeph. 2:3
- Amos 5:5 : See ch. 4:4
- Amos 5:5 : See ch. 4:4
- Amos 5:5 : ch. 8:14
- Amos 5:5 : See ch. 4:4
- Amos 5:5 : See ch. 4:4
- Amos 5:6 : [See ver. 4 above]; 2 Chr. 15:2; Isa. 55:6; Zeph. 2:3
- Amos 5:6 : [Isa. 9:18, 19]
- Amos 5:6 : [See ver. 5 above]; See ch. 4:4
- Amos 5:7 : [ch. 6:12]
- Amos 5:8 : Job 9:9; 38:31
- Amos 5:8 : Ps. 104:20; [ch. 4:13; 8:9]
- Amos 5:8 : ch. 9:6; [Gen. 6:17; Ps. 104:6, 7]
- Amos 5:8 : ch. 9:6; [Gen. 6:17; Ps. 104:6, 7]
- Amos 5:8 : See ch. 4:13
- Amos 5:9 : [Jer. 50:32]
- Amos 5:10 : Isa. 29:21; [Prov. 15:5, 10]
- Amos 5:10 : See Ruth 4:1
- Amos 5:10 : [1 Kgs. 22:8]
- Amos 5:11 : [James 2:6]
- Amos 5:11 : Deut. 28:30, 39; Mic. 6:15; Zeph. 1:13
- Amos 5:11 : Deut. 28:30, 39; Mic. 6:15; Zeph. 1:13
- Amos 5:12 : 1 Sam. 8:3; 12:3; [Ps. 26:10]
- Amos 5:12 : ch. 2:7; Isa. 29:21
- Amos 5:12 : [See ver. 10 above]; See Ruth 4:1
- Amos 5:13 : [Eccles. 3:7]
- Amos 5:13 : Mic. 2:3
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
Prayer: Lord, my sins are many and we live in evil times. But we repent and seek you for life.
One Word: Seek the LORD and live