Amos 5:21 - Easy To Read Version “I hate your holidays!\par I will not accept them!\par I don’t enjoy your religious meetings!\par Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell a savor or take delight in your solemn assemblies. American Standard Version (1901) I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Common English Bible I hate, I reject your festivals; I don’t enjoy your joyous assemblies. Catholic Public Domain Version I hate and have rejected your feasts; and I will not accept the odor from your gatherings. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version I hate, and have rejected your festivities: and I will not receive the odour of your assemblies. |
The Lord smelled these sacrifices, and it pleased him. The Lord said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground as a way to punish people. People are evil from the time that they are young. So I will never again destroy every living thing on the earth like I have just done.
The Lord hates the offerings that evil people give. But the Lord is happy to hear a good person’s prayers.
The Lord is not happy when evil people offer him sacrifices, especially when those evil people are trying to get something from him.
If a person refuses to listen to \{God’s\} teachings, then \{God\} will refuse to hear his prayers.
Some people kill bulls \{as a sacrifice\},\par but they also beat people.\par Those people kill sheep as a sacrifice,\par but they also break the necks of dogs!\par Those people offer up grain offerings,\par but they also offer the blood of pigs! {\cf2\super [475]} \par Those people burn incense, {\cf2\super [476]} \par but they also love their worthless idols. {\cf2\super [477]} \par Those people choose their own ways.\par And they also love their terrible idols.\par
The people of Judah might begin to fast {\cf2\super [122]} \{and pray to me\}. But I will not listen to their prayers. Even if they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept those people. I will destroy the people of Judah with war. I will take away their food, and the people of Judah will starve. And I will destroy them with terrible diseases.”
\{The Lord says,\}\par “Why do you bring me incense {\cf2\super [43]} \par from the country of Sheba? {\cf2\super [44]} \par Why do you bring me sweet-smelling cane from a far away country?\par Your burnt offerings don’t make\par me happy.\par Your sacrifices don’t please me.”\par
“Oholibah {\cf2\super [186]} let everyone see that she was unfaithful. She let so many men enjoy her naked body, that I became disgusted with her—just like I had become disgusted with her sister.
“Then the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will choose one ruler for themselves. And their nation will be too large for the land! {\cf2\super [9]} Jezreel’s day will be truly great.”
“The leaders of the people went to look for the Lord. They took their ‘sheep’ and ‘cows’ with them. But they did not find the Lord. Why? Because he left them.
The Israelites love sacrifices. {\cf2\super [82]} \par They offer the meat and eat it.\par The Lord does not accept their sacrifices.\par He remembers their sins.\par And he will punish them.\par They will be carried as prisoners to Egypt.\par
I will destroy your cities. I will make your holy places empty. I will stop smelling your offerings.
“Go to Bethel and sin! Go to Gilgal {\cf2\super [51]} and sin even more. Offer your sacrifices in the morning. Bring a tenth of your crops for the three-day holiday.
And offer a thank offering made with yeast. Tell everyone about the freewill offerings. {\cf2\super [52]} Israel, you love to do those things. So go and do them.” The Lord said \{this\}.
The Lord my Master used his own name and made a promise. The Lord God All-Powerful made this promise:
I will change your holidays\par into days of crying for the dead.\par All your songs will be songs of sadness\par for dead people.\par I will put clothes of sadness on everyone.\par I will make every head bald. {\cf2\super [104]} \par I will make it like heavy crying\par for an only son that has died.\par It will be a very bitter end.”\par
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [333]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [334]} You close the way for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop the people that are trying to enter.
Live a life of love. Love other people the same as Christ loved us. Christ gave himself for us—he was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice {\cf2\super [37]} to God.
I have all the things I need. I have even more than I need. I have all I need because Epaphroditus brought your gift to me. Your gift is like a sweet-smelling sacrifice {\cf2\super [24]} offered to God. God accepts that sacrifice and it pleases him.