Discovery BoxAmos 5:18-20 
Context5:18 Woe 1 to those who wish for the day of the Lord!
Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come?
It will bring darkness, not light.
5:19 Disaster will be inescapable, 2
as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear,
then escaped 3 into a house,
leaned his hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a poisonous snake.
5:20 Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bring 4 darkness, not light –
gloomy blackness, not bright light?
1 tn The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”) was used when mourning the dead (see the note on the word “dead” in 5:16). The prophet here either engages in role playing and mourns the death of the nation in advance or sarcastically taunts those who hold to this misplaced belief.
2 tn The words “Disaster will be inescapable” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
3 tn Heb “went” (so KJV, NRSV).
4 tn Heb “Will not the day of the Lord be.”
