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Amos 1-9
Young's Literal Translation
Amos 1-9
Young's Literal Translation
1 Words of Amos -- who hath been among herdsmen of Tekoa -- that he hath seen concerning Israel, in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the shaking;
2 and he saith: Jehovah from Zion doth roar, And from Jerusalem giveth forth His voice, And mourned have pastures of the shepherds, And withered hath the top of Carmel!
3 And thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their threshing Gilead with sharp-pointed irons,
4 And I have sent a fire against the house of Hazael, And it hath consumed the palaces of Ben-Hadad.
5 And I have broken the bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from Bikat-Aven, And a holder of a sceptre from Beth-Eden, And removed have been the people of Aram to Kir, said Jehovah.
6 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their removing a complete captivity, To deliver up to Edom,
7 And I have sent a fire against the wall of Gaza, And it hath consumed her palaces;
8 And I have cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And a holder of a sceptre from Ashkelon, And have turned back My hand against Ekron, And perished have the remnant of the Philistines, Said the Lord Jehovah.
9 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their delivering up a complete captivity to Edom, And they remembered not the brotherly covenant,
10 And I have sent a fire against the wall of Tyre, And it hath consumed her palaces.
11 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Edom, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of his pursuing with a sword his brother, And he hath destroyed his mercies, And tear perpetually doth his anger, And his wrath -- he hath kept it for ever,
12 And I have sent a fire against Teman, And it hath consumed palaces of Bozrah.
13 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of the sons of Ammon, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their ripping up the pregnant ones of Gilead, To enlarge their border,
14 And I have kindled a fire against the wall of Rabbah, And it hath consumed her palaces, With a shout in a day of battle, With a whirlwind in a day of hurricane,
15 And gone hath their king in a removal, He and his heads together, said Jehovah!
2 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Moab, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of his burning the bones of the king of Edom to lime,
2 And I have sent a fire against Moab, And it hath consumed the palaces of Kerioth, And dying with noise is Moab, With shouting, with voice of a trumpet.
3 And I have cut off a judge from her midst, And all its heads I slay with him, said Jehovah.
4 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, And for four, I do not reserve it, Because of their loathing the law of Jehovah, And His statutes they have not kept, And their lies do cause them to err, After which their fathers did walk,
5 And I have sent a fire against Judah, And it hath consumed palaces of Jerusalem.
6 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their selling for silver the righteous, And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 Who are panting for the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, And the way of the humble they turn aside, And a man and his father go unto the damsel, So as to pollute My holy name.
8 And on pledged garments they stretch themselves near every altar, And the wine of fined ones they drink [in] the house of their gods.
9 And I -- I have destroyed the Amorite from before them, Whose height [is] as the height of cedars, And strong he [is] as the oaks, And I destroy his fruit from above, And his roots from beneath.
10 And I -- I have brought you up from the land of Egypt, And cause you to go in a wilderness forty years, To possess the land of the Amorite.
11 And I raise of your sons for prophets, And of your choice ones for Nazarites, Is not this true, O sons of Israel? An affirmation of Jehovah.
12 And ye cause the Nazarites to drink wine, And on the prophets ye have laid a charge, Saying, `Do not prophecy!'
13 Lo, I am pressing you under, As the full cart doth press for itself a sheaf.
14 And perished hath refuge from the swift, And the strong strengtheneth not his power, And the mighty delivereth not his soul.
15 And the handler of the bow standeth not, And the swift with his feet delivereth not [himself], And the rider of the horse delivereth not his soul.
16 And the courageous of heart among the mighty, Naked doth flee in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah!
3 Hear ye this word that Jehovah hath spoken concerning you, O sons of Israel, concerning all the family that I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:
2 Only you I have known of all families of the land, Therefore I charge on you all your iniquities.
3 Do two walk together if they have not met?
4 Roar doth a lion in a forest and prey he hath none? Give out doth a young lion his voice from his habitation, If he hath not caught?
5 Doth a bird fall into a snare of the earth, And there is no gin for it? Doth a snare go up from the ground, And prey it captureth not?
6 Is a trumpet blown in a city, And do people not tremble? Is there affliction in a city, And Jehovah hath not done [it]?
7 For the Lord Jehovah doth nothing, Except He hath revealed His counsel unto His servants the prophets.
8 A lion hath roared -- who doth not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken -- who doth not prophesy?
9 Sound ye unto palaces in Ashdod, And to palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: Be ye gathered on mountains of Samaria, And see many troubles within her, And oppressed ones in her midst.
10 And they have not known to act straightforwardly, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are treasuring up violence and spoil in their palaces.
11 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: An adversary -- and surrounding the land, And he hath brought down from thee thy strength, And spoiled have been thy palaces.
12 Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd delivereth from the lion's mouth Two legs, or a piece of an ear, So delivered are the sons of Israel, Who are sitting in Samaria on the corner of a bed, And in Damascus [on that of] a couch.
13 Hear ye and testify to the house of Jacob, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, God of Hosts.
14 For in the day of My charging the transgressions of Israel on him, I have laid a charge on the altars of Beth-El, And cut off have been the horns of the altar, And they have fallen to the earth.
15 And I have smitten the winter-house with the summer-house, And perished have houses of ivory, And consumed have been many houses, An affirmation of Jehovah!
4 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, Who [are] in the mountain of Samaria, Who are oppressing the poor, Who are bruising the needy, Who are saying to their lords: `Bring in, and we do drink.'
2 Sworn hath the Lord Jehovah by His holiness, That lo, days are coming upon you, And he hath taken you away with hooks, And your posterity with fish-hooks.
3 And [by] breaches ye go forth, A woman [at that] over-against her, And ye have cast down the high place, An affirmation of Jehovah.
4 Enter ye Beth-El, and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression, And bring in every morning your sacrifices, Every third year your tithes.
5 And perfume with leaven a thank-offering, And proclaim willing gifts, sound ye! For so ye have loved, O sons of Israel, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
6 And I also -- I have given to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And lack of bread in all your places, And ye have not turned back unto Me, an affirmation of Jehovah.
7 And I also -- I have withheld from you the rain. While yet three months to harvest, And I have sent rain on one city, And on another city I do not send rain, One portion is rained on, And the portion on which it raineth not withereth.
8 And wandered have two or three cities, Unto the same city to drink water, And they are not satisfied, And ye have not turned back unto Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
9 I have smitten you with blasting and with mildew, The abundance of your gardens and of your vineyards, And of your figs, and of your olives, Eat doth the palmer-worm, And ye have not turned back unto Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
10 I have sent among you pestilence by the way of Egypt, I have slain by sword your choice ones, With your captive horses, And I cause the stink of your camps to come up -- even into your nostrils, And ye have not turned back unto Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
11 I have overturned among you, Like the overturn by God of Sodom and Gomorrah, And ye are as a brand delivered from a burning, And ye have not turned back unto Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
12 Therefore, thus I do to thee, O Israel, at last, Because this I do to thee, Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
13 For, lo, the former of mountains, and creator of wind, And the declarer to man what [is] His thought, He is making dawn obscurity, And is treading on high places of earth, Jehovah, God of Hosts, [is] His name!
5 Hear this word that I am bearing to you, A lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 `Fallen, not again to rise, hath the virgin of Israel, Left on her land -- she hath no raiser up.'
3 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: The city that is going out a thousand, Doth leave an hundred, And that which is going out an hundred, Doth leave ten to the house of Israel.
4 For thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,
5 And seek not Beth-El, and Gilgal enter not, And Beer-Sheba pass not through, For Gilgal doth utterly remove, And Beth-El doth become vanity.
6 Seek ye Jehovah, and live, Lest He prosper as fire [against] the house of Joseph, And it hath consumed, And there is no quencher for Beth-El.
7 Ye who are turning to wormwood judgment, And righteousness to the earth have put down,
8 The maker of Kimah and Kesil, And the turner to morning of death-shade, And day [as] night He hath made dark, Who is calling to the waters of the sea, And poureth them on the face of the earth, Jehovah [is] His name;
9 Who is brightening up the spoiled against the strong, And the spoiled against a fortress cometh.
10 They have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.
11 Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor, And the tribute of corn ye take from him, Houses of hewn work ye have built, And ye do not dwell in them, Desirable vineyards ye have planted, And ye do not drink their wine.
12 For I have known -- many [are] your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.
13 Therefore is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it [is].
14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, [is] with you, as ye said.
15 Hate evil, and love good, And set up judgment in the gate, It may be Jehovah, God of Hosts, doth pity the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, the Lord, In all broad places [is] lamentation, And in all out-places they say, `Alas, alas,' And called the husbandman to mourning, And to lamentation the skilful of wailing.
17 And in all vineyards [is] lamentation, For I pass into thy midst, said Jehovah.
18 Ho, ye who are desiring the day of Jehovah, Why [is] this to you -- the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light,
19 As [when] one fleeth from the face of the lion, And the bear hath met him, And he hath come in to the house, And hath leant his hand on the wall, And the serpent hath bitten him.
20 Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, Even thick darkness that hath no brightness?
21 I have hated -- I have loathed your festivals, And I am not refreshed by your restraints.
22 For though ye cause burnt-offerings and your presents to ascend to Me, I am not pleased, And the peace-offering of your fatlings I behold not.
23 Turn aside from Me the noise of thy songs, Yea, the praise of thy psaltery I hear not.
24 And roll on as waters doth judgment, And righteousness as a perennial stream.
25 Sacrifices and offering did ye bring nigh to Me, In a wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26 And ye bare Succoth your king, and Chiun your images, The star of your god, that ye made for yourselves.
27 And I removed you beyond Damascus, Said Jehovah, God of Hosts [is] His name.
6 Wo [to] those secure in Zion, And those confident in the mount of Samaria, The marked of the chief of the nations, And come to them have the house of Israel.
2 Pass ye over [to] Calneh and see, And go thence [to] Hamath the great, And go down [to] Gath of the Philistines, Are [they] better than these kingdoms? Greater [is] their border than your border?
3 Who are putting away the day of evil, And ye bring nigh the seat of violence,
4 Who are lying down on beds of ivory, And are spread out on their couches, And are eating lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the stall,
5 Who are taking part according to the psaltery, Like David they invented for themselves instruments of music;
6 Who are drinking with bowls of wine, And [with] chief perfumes anoint [themselves], And have not been pained for the breach of Joseph.
7 Therefore now they remove at the head of the captives, And turned aside is the mourning-feast of stretched-out ones.
8 Sworn hath the Lord Jehovah by Himself, An affirmation of Jehovah, God of Hosts: I am abominating the excellency of Jacob, And his high places I have hated, And I have delivered up the city and its fulness.
9 And if there are left ten persons in one house, It hath come to pass -- that they have died.
10 And lifted him up hath his loved one, even his burner, To bring forth the bones from the house, And he said to him who [is] in the sides of the house, `Is there yet with thee?' And he said, `None,' then he said, `Hush! Save to make mention of the name of Jehovah.'
11 For lo, Jehovah is commanding, And He hath smitten the great house [with] breaches, And the little house [with] clefts.
12 Do horses run on a rock? Doth one plough [it] with oxen? For ye have turned to gall judgment, And the fruit of righteousness to wormwood.
13 O ye who are rejoicing at nothing, Who are saying, `Have we not by our strength taken to ourselves horns?'
14 Surely, lo, I am raising against you a nation, O house of Israel, An affirmation of Jehovah, God of Hosts, And they have oppressed you from the coming in to Hamath, Unto the stream of the desert.
7 Thus hath the Lord Jehovah shewed me, and lo, He is forming locusts at the beginning of the ascending of the latter growth, and lo, the latter growth [is] after the mowings of the king;
2 and it hath come to pass, when it hath finished to consume the herb of the land, that I say: `Lord Jehovah, forgive, I pray Thee, How doth Jacob arise -- for he [is] small?'
3 Jehovah hath repented of this, `It shall not be,' said Jehovah.
4 Thus hath the Lord Jehovah shewed me, and lo, the Lord Jehovah is calling to contend by fire, and it consumeth the great deep, yea, it hath consumed the portion, and I say:
5 `Lord Jehovah, cease, I pray Thee, How doth Jacob arise -- for he [is] small?'
6 Jehovah hath repented of this, `It also shall not be,' said the Lord Jehovah.
7 Thus hath He shewed me, and lo, the Lord is standing by a wall [made according to] a plumb-line, and in His hand a plumb-line;
8 and Jehovah saith unto me, `What art thou seeing, Amos?' And I say, `A plumb-line;' and the Lord saith: `Lo, I am setting a plumb-line in the midst of My people Israel, I do not add any more to pass over to it.
9 And desolated have been high places of Isaac, And sanctuaries of Israel are wasted, And I have risen against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.'
10 And Amaziah priest of Beth-El sendeth unto Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, `Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words,
11 for thus said Amos: By sword die doth Jeroboam, And Israel certainly removeth from off its land.'
12 And Amaziah saith unto Amos, `Seer, go flee for thee unto the land of Judah, and eat there bread, and there thou dost prophesy;
13 and [at] Beth-El do not add to prophesy any more, for it [is] the king's sanctuary, and it [is] the royal house.'
14 And Amos answereth and saith unto Amaziah, `I [am] no prophet, nor a prophet's son [am] I, but a herdsman I [am], and a cultivator of sycamores,
15 and Jehovah taketh me from after the flock, and Jehovah saith unto me, Go, prophesy unto My people Israel.
16 And now, hear a word of Jehovah: thou art saying, Do not prophesy against Israel, nor drop [any thing] against the house of Isaac,
17 therefore thus said Jehovah: Thy wife in the city doth go a-whoring, And thy sons and thy daughters by sword do fall, And thy land by line is apportioned, And thou on an unclean land diest, And Israel certainly removeth from off its land.'
8 Thus hath the Lord Jehovah shewed me, and, lo, a basket of summer-fruit.
2 And He saith, `What art thou seeing, Amos?' and I say, `A basket of summer-fruit.' And Jehovah saith unto me: `The end hath come unto My people Israel, I do not add any more to pass over to it.
3 And howled have songstresses of a palace in that day, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Many [are] the carcases, into any place throw -- hush!
4 Hear this, ye who are swallowing up the needy, To cause to cease the poor of the land,
5 Saying, When doth the new moon pass, And we sell ground corn? And the sabbath, and we open out pure corn? To make little the ephah, And to make great the shekel, And to use perversely balances of deceit.
6 To purchase with money the poor, And the needy for a pair of sandals, Yea, the refuse of the pure corn we sell.
7 Sworn hath Jehovah by the excellency of Jacob: `I forget not for ever any of their works.
8 For this doth not the land tremble, And mourned hath every dweller in it? And come up as a flood hath all of it. And it hath been cast out, and hath sunk, Like the flood of Egypt.
9 And it hath come to pass in that day, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, I have caused the sun to go in at noon, And caused darkness on the land in a day of light,
10 And have turned your festivals to mourning, And all your songs to lamentation, And caused sackcloth to come up on all loins, And on every head -- baldness, And made it as a mourning [of] an only one, And its latter end as a day of bitterness.
11 Lo, days are coming, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, And I have sent a famine into the land, Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water But of hearing the words of Jehovah.
12 And they have wandered from sea unto sea, And from north even unto east, They go to and fro to seek the word of Jehovah, And they do not find.
13 In that day faint do the fair virgins, And the young men, with thirst.
14 Those swearing by the guilt of Samaria, And have said, Live doth thy god, O Dan, And, Live doth the way of Beer-Sheba, And they have fallen -- and rise not again!'
9 I have seen the Lord standing by the altar, and He saith: `Smite the knob, and the thresholds shake, And cut them off by the head -- all of them, And their posterity with a sword I do slay, Not flee to them doth the fleer, Nor escape to them doth a fugitive.
2 If they dig through into sheol, From thence doth My hand take them, And if they go up the heavens, From thence I cause them to come down.
3 And if they be hid in the top of Carmel, From thence I search out, and have taken them, And if they be hid from Mine eyes in the bottom of the sea, From thence I command the serpent, And it hath bitten them.
4 And if they go into captivity before their enemies, From thence I command the sword, And it hath slain them, And I have set Mine eye on them for evil, And not for good.
5 And [it is] the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Who is striking against the land, and it melteth, And mourned have all the inhabitants in it, And come up as a flood hath all of it, And it hath sunk -- like the flood of Egypt.
6 Who is building in the heavens His upper chambers; As to His troop, Upon earth He hath founded it, Who is calling for the waters of the sea, And poureth them out on the face of the land, Jehovah [is] His name.
7 As sons of Cushim are ye not to Me? O sons of Israel -- an affirmation of Jehovah. Israel did I not bring up out of the land of Egypt? And the Philistines from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?
8 Lo, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah [are] on the sinful kingdom, And I have destroyed it from off the face of the ground, Only, I destroy not utterly the house of Jacob, An affirmation of Jehovah.
9 For lo, I am commanding, And I have shaken among all the nations the house of Israel, As [one] doth shake with a sieve, And there falleth not a grain [to] the earth.
10 By sword die do all sinners of My people, Who are saying, `Not overtake, or go before, For our sakes, doth evil.'
11 In that day I raise the tabernacle of David, that is fallen, And I have repaired their breaches, And its ruins I do raise up, And I have built it up as in days of old.
12 So that they possess the remnant of Edom, And all the nations on whom My name is called, An affirmation of Jehovah -- doer of this.
13 Lo, days are coming -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And come nigh hath the ploughman to the reaper, And the treader of grapes to the scatterer of seed, And the mountains have dropt juice, And all the hills do melt.
14 And I have turned back [to] the captivity of My people Israel, And they have built desolate cities, and inhabited, And have planted vineyards, and drunk their wine, And made gardens, and eaten their fruit.
15 And I have planted them on their own ground, And they are not plucked up any more from off their own ground, That I have given to them, said Jehovah thy God!
Amos 1-9
New International Version
Amos 1-9
New International Version
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(B) when Uzziah(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(E)
2 He said:
“The Lord roars(F) from Zion
and thunders(G) from Jerusalem;(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel(I) withers.”(J)
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Damascus,(K)
even for four, I will not relent.(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4 I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
5 I will break down the gate(Q) of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(R)
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(S)”
says the Lord.(T)
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Gaza,(U)
even for four, I will not relent.(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,(W)
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king[d] of Ashdod(X)
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(Y) against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines(Z) are dead,”(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.(AB)
9 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Tyre,(AC)
even for four, I will not relent.(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(AE)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.(AF)”
11 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Edom,(AG)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword(AH)
and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
and his fury flamed unchecked,(AI)
12 I will send fire on Teman(AJ)
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(AK)”
13 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Ammon,(AL)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women(AM) of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah(AN)
that will consume(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries(AP) on the day of battle,
amid violent winds(AQ) on a stormy day.
15 Her king[e] will go into exile,
he and his officials together,(AR)”
says the Lord.(AS)
2 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Moab,(AT)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes(AU)
the bones of Edom’s king,
2 I will send fire on Moab
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.[f](AV)
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war cries(AW) and the blast of the trumpet.(AX)
3 I will destroy her ruler(AY)
and kill all her officials with him,”(AZ)
says the Lord.(BA)
4 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Judah,(BB)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law(BC) of the Lord
and have not kept his decrees,(BD)
because they have been led astray(BE) by false gods,[g](BF)
the gods[h] their ancestors followed,(BG)
5 I will send fire(BH) on Judah
that will consume the fortresses(BI) of Jerusalem.(BJ)”
Judgment on Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.(BK)
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.(BL)
7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
and so profane my holy name.(BM)
8 They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.(BN)
In the house of their god
they drink wine(BO) taken as fines.(BP)
9 “Yet I destroyed the Amorites(BQ) before them,
though they were tall(BR) as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.(BS)
I destroyed their fruit above
and their roots(BT) below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt(BU)
and led(BV) you forty years in the wilderness(BW)
to give you the land of the Amorites.(BX)
11 “I also raised up prophets(BY) from among your children
and Nazirites(BZ) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.(CA)
13 “Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.(CB)
14 The swift will not escape,(CC)
the strong(CD) will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.(CE)
15 The archer(CF) will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horseman(CG) will not save his life.(CH)
16 Even the bravest warriors(CI)
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
3 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you(CJ)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:(CK)
2 “You only have I chosen(CL)
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish(CM) you
for all your sins.(CN)”
3 Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar(CO) in the thicket
when it has no prey?(CP)
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no bait(CQ) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
6 When a trumpet(CR) sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disaster(CS) comes to a city,
has not the Lord caused it?(CT)
7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan(CU)
to his servants the prophets.(CV)
8 The lion(CW) has roared(CX)—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?(CY)
9 Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod(CZ)
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;(DA)
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,(DB)” declares the Lord,
“who store up in their fortresses(DC)
what they have plundered(DD) and looted.”
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.(DE)”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s(DF) mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric[i] from a couch.[j](DG)”
13 “Hear this and testify(DH) against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
14 “On the day I punish(DI) Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;(DJ)
the horns(DK) of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house(DL)
along with the summer house;(DM)
the houses adorned with ivory(DN) will be destroyed
and the mansions(DO) will be demolished,(DP)”
declares the Lord.(DQ)
Israel Has Not Returned to God
4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(DR) on Mount Samaria,(DS)
you women who oppress the poor(DT) and crush the needy(DU)
and say to your husbands,(DV) “Bring us some drinks!(DW)”
2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
“The time(DX) will surely come
when you will be taken away(DY) with hooks,(DZ)
the last of you with fishhooks.[k]
3 You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,(EA)
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[l]”
declares the Lord.
4 “Go to Bethel(EB) and sin;
go to Gilgal(EC) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(ED)
your tithes(EE) every three years.[m](EF)
5 Burn leavened bread(EG) as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings(EH)—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.
6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(EI)
7 “I also withheld(EJ) rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.(EK)
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for water(EL)
but did not get enough(EM) to drink,
yet you have not returned(EN) to me,”
declares the Lord.(EO)
9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.(EP)
Locusts(EQ) devoured your fig and olive trees,(ER)
yet you have not returned(ES) to me,”
declares the Lord.
10 “I sent plagues(ET) among you
as I did to Egypt.(EU)
I killed your young men(EV) with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench(EW) of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,”(EX)
declares the Lord.(EY)
11 “I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.(EZ)
You were like a burning stick(FA) snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(FB)
12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”
13 He who forms the mountains,(FC)
who creates the wind,(FD)
and who reveals his thoughts(FE) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth(FF)—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.(FG)
A Lament and Call to Repentance
5 Hear this word, Israel, this lament(FH) I take up concerning you:
2 “Fallen is Virgin(FI) Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.(FJ)”
3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:
“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.(FK)”
4 This is what the Lord says to Israel:
“Seek(FL) me and live;(FM)
5 do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,(FN)
do not journey to Beersheba.(FO)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[n](FP)”
6 Seek(FQ) the Lord and live,(FR)
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;(FS)
it will devour them,
and Bethel(FT) will have no one to quench it.(FU)
7 There are those who turn justice into bitterness(FV)
and cast righteousness(FW) to the ground.(FX)
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,(FY)
who turns midnight into dawn(FZ)
and darkens day into night,(GA)
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.(GB)
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.(GC)
10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(GD)
and detest the one who tells the truth.(GE)
11 You levy a straw tax on the poor(GF)
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,(GG)
you will not live in them;(GH)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.(GI)
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.(GJ)
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes(GK)
and deprive the poor(GL) of justice in the courts.(GM)
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet(GN) in such times,
for the times are evil.(GO)
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.(GP)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(GQ) love good;(GR)
maintain justice in the courts.(GS)
Perhaps(GT) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(GU)
on the remnant(GV) of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:
“There will be wailing(GW) in all the streets(GX)
and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(GY) will be summoned to weep
and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(GZ) in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through(HA) your midst,”
says the Lord.(HB)
The Day of the Lord
18 Woe to you who long
for the day of the Lord!(HC)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(HD)
That day will be darkness,(HE) not light.(HF)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,(HG)
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.(HH)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(HI) not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(HJ)
21 “I hate,(HK) I despise your religious festivals;(HL)
your assemblies(HM) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(HN) and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.(HO)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.(HP)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.(HQ)
24 But let justice(HR) roll on like a river,
righteousness(HS) like a never-failing stream!(HT)
25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(HU) and offerings
forty years(HV) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,(HW)
the star of your god[o]—
which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(HX) beyond Damascus,”
says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(HY)
Woe to the Complacent
6 Woe to you(HZ) who are complacent(IA) in Zion,
and to you who feel secure(IB) on Mount Samaria,(IC)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!(ID)
2 Go to Kalneh(IE) and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,(IF)
and then go down to Gath(IG) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(IH) your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3 You put off the day of disaster
and bring near a reign of terror.(II)
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.(IJ)
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.(IK)
5 You strum away on your harps(IL) like David
and improvise on musical instruments.(IM)
6 You drink wine(IN) by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve(IO) over the ruin of Joseph.(IP)
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(IQ)
your feasting and lounging will end.(IR)
The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel
8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(IS)—the Lord God Almighty declares:
“I abhor(IT) the pride of Jacob(IU)
and detest his fortresses;(IV)
I will deliver up(IW) the city
and everything in it.(IX)”
9 If ten(IY) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[p](IZ) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(JA) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”
11 For the Lord has given the command,
and he will smash(JB) the great house(JC) into pieces
and the small house into bits.(JD)
12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
Does one plow the sea[q] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(JE)
and the fruit of righteousness(JF) into bitterness(JG)—
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[r]
and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[s] by our own strength?(JH)”
14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
“I will stir up a nation(JI) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
from Lebo Hamath(JJ) to the valley of the Arabah.(JK)”
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(JL) He was preparing swarms of locusts(JM) after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean,(JN) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?(JO) He is so small!(JP)”
3 So the Lord relented.(JQ)
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.(JR)
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire;(JS) it dried up the great deep and devoured(JT) the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!(JU)”
6 So the Lord relented.(JV)
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.(JW)
7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[t] with a plumb line[u] in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(JX) Amos?(JY)”
“A plumb line,(JZ)” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(KA)
9 “The high places(KB) of Isaac will be destroyed
and the sanctuaries(KC) of Israel will be ruined;
with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.(KD)”
Amos and Amaziah
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel(KE) sent a message to Jeroboam(KF) king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy(KG) against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.(KH) 11 For this is what Amos is saying:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile,(KI)
away from their native land.’”(KJ)
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer!(KK) Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.(KL) 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel,(KM) because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple(KN) of the kingdom.(KO)”
14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet(KP) nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.(KQ) 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock(KR) and said to me, ‘Go,(KS) prophesy(KT) to my people Israel.’(KU) 16 Now then, hear(KV) the word of the Lord. You say,
“‘Do not prophesy against(KW) Israel,
and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute(KX) in the city,
and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
and you yourself will die in a pagan[v] country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,(KY)
away from their native land.(KZ)’”
A Basket of Ripe Fruit
8 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(LA) a basket of ripe fruit. 2 “What do you see,(LB) Amos?(LC)” he asked.
“A basket(LD) of ripe fruit,” I answered.
Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(LE)
3 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[w](LF) Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!(LG)”
5 saying,
“When will the New Moon(LJ) be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market(LK) wheat?”(LL)—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating(LM) with dishonest scales,(LN)
6 buying the poor(LO) with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.(LP)
7 The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:(LQ) “I will never forget(LR) anything they have done.(LS)
8 “Will not the land tremble(LT) for this,
and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
it will be stirred up and then sink
like the river of Egypt.(LU)
9 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.(LV)
10 I will turn your religious festivals(LW) into mourning
and all your singing into weeping.(LX)
I will make all of you wear sackcloth(LY)
and shave(LZ) your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son(MA)
and the end of it like a bitter day.(MB)
11 “The days are coming,”(MC) declares the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine(MD) of hearing the words of the Lord.(ME)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.(MF)
13 “In that day
“the lovely young women and strong young men(MG)
will faint because of thirst.(MH)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(MI)—
who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(MJ)
or, ‘As surely as the god[x] of Beersheba(MK) lives’—
they will fall,(ML) never to rise again.(MM)”
Israel to Be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
“Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads(MN) of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.(MO)
2 Though they dig down to the depths below,(MP)
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(MQ)
from there I will bring them down.(MR)
3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(MS)
there I will hunt them down and seize them.(MT)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(MU)
there I will command the serpent(MV) to bite them.(MW)
4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the sword(MX) to slay them.
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(NB)
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;(NC)
6 he builds his lofty palace[y](ND) in the heavens
and sets its foundation[z] on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.(NE)
7 “Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites[aa]?”(NF)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines(NG) from Caphtor[ab](NH)
and the Arameans from Kir?(NI)
8 “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy(NJ) it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.(NK)
9 “For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain(NL) is shaken in a sieve,(NM)
and not a pebble will reach the ground.(NN)
10 All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,(NO)
all those who say,
‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’(NP)
Israel’s Restoration
11 “In that day
“I will restore David’s(NQ) fallen shelter(NR)—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins(NS)—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,(NT)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(NU)
and all the nations that bear my name,[ac](NV)”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(NW)
13 “The days are coming,”(NX) declares the Lord,
“when the reaper(NY) will be overtaken by the plowman(NZ)
and the planter by the one treading(OA) grapes.
New wine(OB) will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,(OC)
14 and I will bring(OD) my people Israel back from exile.[ad](OE)
“They will rebuild the ruined cities(OF) and live in them.
They will plant vineyards(OG) and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(OH)
15 I will plant(OI) Israel in their own land,(OJ)
never again to be uprooted(OK)
from the land I have given them,”(OL)
says the Lord your God.(OM)
Footnotes
- Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
- Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
- Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
- Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants
- Amos 1:15 Or / Molek
- Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
- Amos 2:4 Or by lies
- Amos 2:4 Or lies
- Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.
- Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
- Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
- Amos 4:4 Or days
- Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
- Amos 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols
- Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
- Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
- Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
- Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
- Amos 7:17 Hebrew an unclean
- Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
- Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way
- Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
- Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
- Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
- Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel
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