The words of Amos, who was among the (A)shepherds[a] of (B)Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel (C)in the days of (D)Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of (E)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years[b] before (F)the earthquake.

Judgment on Israel's Neighbors

And he said:

(G)“The Lord roars from Zion
    and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
(H)the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
    and the (I)top of (J)Carmel withers.”

Thus says the Lord:

(K)“For three transgressions of (L)Damascus,
    and for four, (M)I will not revoke the punishment,[c]
because they have threshed (N)Gilead
    with threshing sledges of iron.
(O)So I will send a fire upon the house of (P)Hazael,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of (Q)Ben-hadad.
I will (R)break the gate-bar of (S)Damascus,
    and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of (T)Aven,[d]
and him who holds the scepter from (U)Beth-eden;
    and the people of (V)Syria shall go into exile to (W)Kir,”
says the Lord.

Thus says the Lord:

(X)“For three transgressions of (Y)Gaza,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (Z)they carried into exile a whole people
    to deliver them up to Edom.
So I will send a fire upon the wall of (AA)Gaza,
    and it shall devour her strongholds.
I will cut off the inhabitants from (AB)Ashdod,
    and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
    and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
says the Lord God.

Thus says the Lord:

(AC)“For three transgressions of (AD)Tyre,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,
    and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 So I will send a fire upon the wall of (AE)Tyre,
    and it shall devour her strongholds.”

11 Thus says the Lord:

(AF)“For three transgressions of (AG)Edom,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
(AH)because he pursued his brother with the sword
    (AI)and cast off all pity,
(AJ)and his anger tore perpetually,
    (AK)and he kept his wrath forever.
12 So I will send a fire upon (AL)Teman,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of (AM)Bozrah.”

13 Thus says the Lord:

(AN)“For three transgressions of the (AO)Ammonites,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (AP)they have ripped open pregnant women in (AQ)Gilead,
    that they might enlarge their border.
14 So I will kindle a fire in the wall of (AR)Rabbah,
    (AS)and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
    (AT)with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
15 and (AU)their king shall go into exile,
    he and his princes[e] together,”
says the Lord.

Thus says the Lord:

(AV)“For three transgressions of (AW)Moab,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[f]
because (AX)he burned to lime
    the bones of the king of Edom.
So I will send a fire upon Moab,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of (AY)Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
    amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
(AZ)I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
    and will kill (BA)all its princes[g] with him,”
says the Lord.

Judgment on Judah

Thus says the Lord:

(BB)“For three transgressions of Judah,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (BC)they have rejected the law of the Lord,
    and have not kept his statutes,
but (BD)their lies have led them astray,
    those after which their fathers walked.
So (BE)I will send a fire upon Judah,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel

Thus says the Lord:

(BF)“For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (BG)they sell the righteous for (BH)silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—
those who trample the head of the poor (BI)into the dust of the earth
    and (BJ)turn aside the way of the afflicted;
(BK)a man and his father go in to the same girl,
    so that my holy name is profaned;
they lay themselves down beside every altar
    on garments (BL)taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
    the wine of those who have been fined.

“Yet (BM)it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
    (BN)whose height was like the height of the cedars
    and who was as strong as the oaks;
(BO)I destroyed his fruit above
    and his roots beneath.
10 (BP)Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
    (BQ)and led you forty years in the wilderness,
    (BR)to possess the land of the Amorite.
11 And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
    and some of your young men for (BS)Nazirites.
    Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.

12 “But you made the Nazirites (BT)drink wine,
    and commanded the prophets,
    saying, (BU)‘You shall not prophesy.’

13 “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
    as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14 (BV)Flight shall perish from the swift,
    (BW)and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    (BX)nor shall the mighty save his life;
15 he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is (BY)swift of foot shall not save himself,
    (BZ)nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16 and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.

Israel's Guilt and Punishment

(CA)Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

(CB)“You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
(CC)therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.

“Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
(CD)Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
(CE)Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the Lord has done it?

“For the Lord God does nothing
    (CF)without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
(CG)The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?”

Proclaim to the strongholds in (CH)Ashdod
    and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on (CI)the mountains of Samaria,
    and see the great tumults within her,
    and (CJ)the oppressed in her midst.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
    (CK)“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

(CL)“An adversary shall surround the land
    and bring down[h] your defenses from you,
    and (CM)your strongholds shall be plundered.”

12 Thus says the Lord: (CN)“As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, (CO)so shall the people of Israel (CP)who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part[i] of a bed.

13 “Hear, (CQ)and testify against the house of Jacob,”
    declares the Lord God, (CR)the God of hosts,
14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
    (CS)I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and (CT)the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 (CU)I will strike (CV)the winter house along with (CW)the summer house,
    and (CX)the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses[j] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:1 Or sheep breeders
  2. Amos 1:1 Or during two years
  3. Amos 1:3 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 6, 9, 11, 13
  4. Amos 1:5 Or On
  5. Amos 1:15 Or officials
  6. Amos 2:1 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6
  7. Amos 2:3 Or officials
  8. Amos 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down
  9. Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  10. Amos 3:15 Or and many houses

Restore Us, O God

To the choirmaster: according to (A)Lilies. A Testimony. Of (B)Asaph, a Psalm.

80 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead (C)Joseph like (D)a flock.
You who are (E)enthroned upon the cherubim, (F)shine forth.
    Before (G)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
(H)stir up your might
    and (I)come to save us!

(J)Restore us,[a] O God;
    (K)let your face shine, that we may be saved!

O (L)Lord God of hosts,
    (M)how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
You have fed them with (N)the bread of tears
    and given them tears to drink in full measure.
(O)You make us an object of contention for our (P)neighbors,
    and our enemies laugh among themselves.

(Q)Restore us, O God of hosts;
    let your face shine, that we may be saved!

You brought (R)a vine out of Egypt;
    you (S)drove out the nations and planted it.
You (T)cleared the ground for it;
    it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
    the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to (U)the sea
    and its shoots to (V)the River.[b]
12 Why then have you (W)broken down its walls,
    so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 (X)The boar from the forest ravages it,
    and all that move in the field feed on it.

14 Turn again, O God of hosts!
    (Y)Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15     the stock that your right hand planted,
    and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have (Z)burned it with fire; they have (AA)cut it down;
    may they perish at (AB)the rebuke of your face!
17 But (AC)let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
    the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
18 Then we shall not turn back from you;
    (AD)give us life, and we will call upon your name!

19 (AE)Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!
    Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 80:3 Or Turn us again; also verses 7, 19
  2. Psalm 80:11 That is, the Euphrates

Preach the Word

(A)I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, (B)who is to judge the living and the dead, and by (C)his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; (D)reprove, rebuke, and (E)exhort, with complete patience and teaching. (F)For the time is coming when people will not endure (G)sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and (H)will turn away from listening to the truth and (I)wander off into myths. As for you, (J)always be sober-minded, (K)endure suffering, do the work of (L)an evangelist, (M)fulfill your ministry.

For (N)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my (O)departure has come. (P)I have fought the good fight, (Q)I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is (R)laid up for me (S)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, (T)the righteous judge, will award to me on (U)that day, and not only to me but also to all (V)who have loved his appearing.

Personal Instructions

(W)Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For (X)Demas, (Y)in love with (Z)this present world, (AA)has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,[b] (AB)Titus to Dalmatia. 11 (AC)Luke alone is with me. Get (AD)Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 (AE)Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 (AF)Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; (AG)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. (AH)May it not be charged against them! 17 But (AI)the Lord stood by me and (AJ)strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and (AK)all the Gentiles might hear it. So (AL)I was rescued (AM)from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. (AN)To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

19 Greet (AO)Prisca and Aquila, and (AP)the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left (AQ)Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 (AR)Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.[c]

22 The Lord be (AS)with your spirit. (AT)Grace be with you.[d]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 4:3 Or healthy
  2. 2 Timothy 4:10 Some manuscripts Gaul
  3. 2 Timothy 4:21 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
  4. 2 Timothy 4:22 The Greek for you is plural

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