Passage
Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all broadways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! alas! And they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
Nearby Context
Amos 5:14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye say.
Amos 5:15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all broadways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! alas! And they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
Amos 5:17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.
Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! To what end is the day of Jehovah for you? It shall be darkness and not light:
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "therefore", "thus", "saith", "jehovah", "hosts", "lord", "wailing", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "thus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Hate evil and love good and establish..." into verse 17's "And in all vineyards shall be wailing...", so "therefore" and "thus" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "thus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.