Amos 5:6-9

Easy-to-Read Version

⁶Come to the Lord and live.
    If you don’t go to him, a fire will start at Joseph’s house,^[a]
    and no one in Bethel^[b] can stop it.
^7-9You should go to the Lord for help.
    He is the one who made the Pleiades and Orion.^[c]
He changes darkness into the morning light.
    He changes the day into the dark night.
He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth.
    His name is Yahweh!
He keeps one strong city safe,
    and he lets another strong city be destroyed.”

The Evil Things That the Israelites Did

You change justice to poison.^[d]
You throw away fairness like trash.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Amos 5:6 Joseph’s house Here, this means the ten-tribe nation of Israel. Joseph was the ancestor of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh in Israel.
Amos 5:6 Bethel This name means “El’s house” or “the house of God.” There was a temple here where the people from the northern tribes worshiped.
Amos 5:7 Pleiades and Orion Two well-known groups of stars (constellations).
Amos 5:7 poison Literally, “wormwood,” a type of plant with bitter leaves. It could be used as a medicine, or if strong enough, as a poison.