Amos 5:14 (LSB)

Passage

Seek good and not evil, in order that you may live; And thus may Yahweh God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!

Nearby Context

Amos 5:12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are mighty, You who distress the righteous and take bribes And turn aside the needy in the gate.

Amos 5:13 Therefore at such a time the one with insight keeps silent, for it is an evil time.

Amos 5:14 Seek good and not evil, in order that you may live; And thus may Yahweh God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!

Amos 5:15 Hate evil, love good, And set justice at the gate! Perhaps Yahweh God of hosts May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Amos 5:16 Therefore thus says Yahweh God of hosts, the Lord, “There is wailing in all the plazas, And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They also call the farmer to mourning And professional weepers to wailing.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seek", "good", "evil", "order", "live", "thus", "yahweh", and "hosts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seek" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Therefore at such a time the one..." into verse 15's "Hate evil love good And set justice...", so "seek" and "good" 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 "seek" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.