Amos 5:21

“I absolutely despise ¹  your festivals! I get no pleasure ²  from your religious assemblies!

"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.

"I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.

"I hate all your show and pretense––the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.

"I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.

Your feasts are disgusting to me, I will have nothing to do with them; I will take no delight in your holy meetings.

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

"I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.

“I absolutely despise ¹  your festivals! I get no pleasure ²  from your religious assemblies!

¹ tn Heb “I hate”; “I despise.”

² tn Heb “I will not smell.” These verses are full of vivid descriptions of the Lord’s total rejection of Israelite worship. In the first half of this verse two verbs are used together for emphasis. Here the verb alludes to the sense of smell, a fitting observation since offerings would have been burned on the altar ideally to provide a sweet aroma to God (see, e.g., Lev 1:9, 13, 17; Num 29:36). Other senses that are mentioned include sight and hearing in vv. 22-23.